Elizabeth Martin: The Year of Secrets
by Kris Pilar
Summary: Elizabeth Martin's summer has been going well, though things start taking a turn when the Daily Prophet reports something that no one ever imagined would happen: There's been a break-out from Azkaban. Adding to it, dementors are guarding the gates of Hogwarts and rumors are around that Sirus Black, the prison escapee, is after one of her best friends, Harry Potter...
1. Chapter One

**_A/N:_** Here begins _Year of Secrets_, Elizabeth Martin's third year at Hogwarts. Updates for now will be every Friday. As usual disclaimer, I own nothing that belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

_**Chapter One:**_

_The attack was over in seconds. It would have lasted longer if the young girl had not lashed out, using a vase in self-defense. She smashed it over the woman's head, grabbing her wand as she scrambled to her feet and rushed to safety. A hiding place. Somewhere to get away until her mother lost interest._

_There. The closet. It was a perfect hiding spot. The last place her mother would ever think to look. She ran forward, wand tight in hand, and yanked open the door. Diving between cloaks, she closed the door tightly behind her and cast a quick spell to lock it. She backed away, her back hitting the wall behind her as she stood still, breathing hard, trying to listen for any sound—_

"What're you reading?"

Elizabeth yelped, the book in her hands flying across the room as she jerked upright. She turned quickly to her bedroom door and saw her older brother, Lewis, standing there with a smirk. His best friend, Cedric Diggory, right behind him.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Elizabeth's voice squeaked, her face growing warm.

"I would if you ever bothered to close your door," Lewis said, picking up Elizabeth's discarded book, "Another of Ronda Rider's mysteries?"

"It's none of your business," Elizabeth said, hopping off her bed and snatching the book away from her brother, "Cedric, can you please get him out of my room?"

"Yeah, we don't have to bother Elizabeth, right?" Cedric asked, "I mean, I thought I was coming out here to play some Quidditch? Not torment Elizabeth."

"Thank you, Cedric," Elizabeth said, watching as Cedric led Lewis away. Elizabeth looked down at her book she was reading, wondering if she could sit back down and get back to the story of Rebecca and battling her mother under the Imperious Curse...She had just gotten the book the day before from her Aunt Ginger and was already halfway through.

"Elizabeth, could you come here a moment? There's something you'd like to see."

Elizabeth sighed. Looked like her book was going to be put aside. It looked like Rebecca's story would have to wait.

Elizabeth put her book on the bed, heading on into the main room of the house her family lived in. Her mother was at the kitchen table with her usual copy of the _Daily Prophet_, finally getting to read it after a day at work. Of course, it wasn't just work that kept her busy. Grace Martin's sister, Elizabeth's Aunt Ginger, had decided a few months before that she didn't want a winter wedding after all, and was going to marry her fiancé, Xavier Gretchen, in just a few days. There was a lot of wedding preparation going on for the wedding that would take place after dark, all at Xavier's home some miles away.

Elizabeth had actually braved herself enough to write a letter to her crush from Hogwarts—a boy named Tobias Marsh who was a year older to her—asking to be her date to the wedding. She hadn't heard back from him yet, something that worried her. Was she just embarrassing herself writing to him? Was he going to pretend he never got the letter, to avoid having to tell her no? Every day she regretted more and more sending that letter, and often thought about sending another one, saying she didn't know what she was thinking writing that first one...

"One of your friends is in the paper, Elizabeth," Grace Martin said with a grin, pushing over the newspaper. Elizabeth came over, looking to the black-and-white photograph of nine people, all waving and smiling at the camera from in front of a pyramid. She instantly spotted Ron, front and center, with his pet rat on his shoulder.

"Ron told me that his family was going on a trip to Egypt," Elizabeth said with a grin, pulling the paper closer, "But I didn't think it would make the _Daily Prophet_."

The Weasley family was a large one, but also very poor. A few weeks ago, Ron had written Elizabeth a letter saying his father had won a daily lottery draw and they were going to use the money to visit one of his brothers—Bill—in Egypt, as well as get himself a new wand. (Ron's had met with an unfortunate accident with an attacking tree the year before.)

"Mind if I cut the article out when you're done?" Elizabeth asked. Maybe she'd pin it up on her wall. Making it into the _Daily Prophet_ was something to be proud of, after all. At least, as long as no one was writing a discriminating article about you.

"I'll let you know when you can have it," Grace said with a grin, "Why don't you go pull some shoes on? I'm a bit tired to cook, we'll all go out for dinner tonight."

"Are you sure?" Lewis asked from the living room with Cedric, "I mean, with Aunt Ginger's wedding in a few days, and school shopping in a few weeks..."

"I think we can spare enough to get a meal at the Leaky Cauldron tonight," Grace said, getting to her feet.

Elizabeth had to admit, the night away was nice. And at least when they got home, she was able to finish reading her book—though by wandlight under her blankets.

Unfortunately, this left her exhausted the next day. And she had a lot to do. There were more trips to Xavier's to plan for the wedding.

At least her day started well. As Elizabeth was finishing her breakfast, the morning mail arrived. Elizabeth had a few letters, one from Hermione—who was on vacation in France. One from Susan Bones, one of Elizabeth's roommates at Hogwarts. And—Elizabeth's heart leapt to her throat—one from Tobias.

"What's Tobias writing you for?" Lewis asked, seeing the letter and leaning past Cedric to take it. Elizabeth snatched it back quickly.

"I asked him to be my date for Aunt Ginger's wedding," Elizabeth said, feeling her face flush.

"Date?" Lewis asked in shock.

"Lewis, don't start tormenting your sister," Grace said, "She's thirteen. She's perfectly free to date if she wants to."

Elizabeth's face felt like it was on fire now. Avoiding her brother's look, and Cedric laughing over it, Elizabeth hurried to her room with her letters, closing the door behind her.

The letters from Susan and Hermione were left unopened on the desk for now, as Elizabeth sat on her bed, staring at Tobias' handwriting on the envelope. This was it. This was going to be his answer...His letter where he turned her down, leaving her horrified and embarrassed...Elizabeth knew she should open it, get it over with, but she couldn't. She just sat there, letter in hand.

Why was opening a letter so bloody terrifying?

Probably because this was Tobias Marsh. The boy Elizabeth had had a crush on since the beginning of her second year. It was hard not to. He was handsome. Tall, with blond hair and dark blue eyes and a smile that always made Elizabeth's stomach do flips...Yet Elizabeth was plain. Flat brown hair that lay to her shoulders, gray eyes, and a face full of freckles. Why would Tobias be interested in her?

Sure, they spent a lot of time around each other during the last term...Elizabeth had gotten to sit and talk with him a lot. All started when Tobias gave Elizabeth a Valentine's Day card. But what if he was just being nice? After all, it was well known that Elizabeth was friends with Harry Potter, who was famous. What if he was just being nice because of that, and had no interest in her?

Elizabeth took a deep breath. She couldn't keep putting this off. She was going to have to read it sooner or later...

Slowly, Elizabeth open the envelope and pulled out the parchment. Holding her breath, Elizabeth unfolded it and stared at Tobias' handwriting, swallowing hard before she forced herself to start reading:

_Dear Elizabeth,_

_I'd love to be your date to your aunt's wedding! Thank you for inviting me. I'll make sure to be there on time, looking my best. I can't wait to see you, especially all dressed up. I'm sure you'll be beautiful._

_I'll see you soon,_

_Tobias_

Elizabeth stared at the letter in shock. She had to reread it several times, unable to take in the words. Tobias said yes? He'd be her date? Elizabeth found herself grinning brightly, flopping back on her bed and holding the letter above her, trying to fight the urge to squeal. Tobias said yes! She had a date to the wedding!

She just flat-out had a _date_. Maybe if things went right...She could easily have a boyfriend in a few days...

Elizabeth giggled brightly at that, staring over the letter, then her eyes went to the last sentence..._I'm sure you'll be beautiful._

Now she was suddenly nervous. She looked to her wardrobe, where the red dress robes she would be wearing at the wedding were hanging, and she couldn't help but wonder if Tobias would like how she looked in it...

'_I need to stop obsessing on this,'_ Elizabeth thought. She had a few days before she had to worry about how she'd look...Right now, she needed to get going. She had to go to Xavier's and help get things ready for the wedding.

"Elizabeth, hurry up, we need to get going," Grace called.

Elizabeth got up, folding back up Tobias' letter and putting it in her desk drawer, grinning. Worrying about clothes or not, she had one thing to look forward to. She had a date with a cute boy coming up. That's what she should focus on and stop worrying about everything else.

And Elizabeth had plenty to distract her. Cedric went home after breakfast, while Elizabeth, Lewis, and Grace went to Xavier's to help with wedding preparations.

Elizabeth liked Xavier. He was a plain looking man, lanky with dark blond hair and brown eyes, and a wide brow and hook nose, but he was one of the nicest people Elizabeth had ever met. Plus, he often had interesting stories about the Muggles he encountered in his work as an Obliviator. He even gave them the story about a Muggle who unfortunately had an encounter with a group of gnomes that had strayed too far into a city.

"The poor man had locked himself into his bathroom, screaming about demons," Xavier told them over their lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, "The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures removed the gnomes and I was able to Obliviate the Muggle's memory of what happened. We got the house all fixed back up, so as far as he knows, he just took a long nap."

"I don't understand how Muggles can do it," Grace said, shaking her head, "I mean, living without magic, understanding so little..."

"I'm actually going to take Muggle Studies this year," Elizabeth said, "One of my friends is Muggle-born and I think it'll be interesting learning more about them."

"Despite what most people say, Muggle Studies is worth taking," Ginger said, "I work with a Muggle-born and the stories she has are fascinating. I wish I had taken it in Hogwarts."

"It's been really helpful as an Obliviator," Xavier said, "It's nice to actually understand Muggle life when my job involves erasing their memories. It's a specific job. You have to erase specific memories without taking out things that are important. When I was training, one of my co-workers washed out after he accidentally erased some poor Muggle's entire study to be a doctor—sort of this Muggle healer," he added on Lewis's look (Elizabeth had learned what a doctor was from Hermione a few years ago), "The poor man had to be relocated. He couldn't exactly keep doing his job when he didn't know what he was doing. And my friend took it really hard, decided to transfer over to Magical Maintenance."

"Probably for the better," Grace said, "We have patients in St. Mungo's who are recovering from someone who misused that spell."

Elizabeth knew of one in particular, even though her mother wasn't allowed to talk about patients. But a few months ago, Elizabeth's old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher tried to use Obliviate on her and two of her friends, Ron and Harry. It had backfired and his entire memory was erased. With what Gilderoy Lockhart had done, Elizabeth felt the man deserved it. After all, he had been building a career on erasing the memory of honorable witches and wizards and steal their achievements for himself.

With lunch finished, it was time to get back to work. Elizabeth sighed as she got up, following the others back into the living room to continue preparing for the wedding that would take place in a few days.

**xxxxx**

Elizabeth paced Xavier's yard, nerves twisting her insides. It wasn't like feelings she got before, a sense of dread that she learned to accept meant something was about to happen. This was just pure nerves. It was beginning to grow dark. Xavier and Ginger's wedding would be in an hour. Elizabeth was in her dress robes—dark red and a flowy velvet that was actually quite hot in the evening sun. She'd bought them before Aunt Ginger decided to move up the wedding and hadn't been able to return it or get new.

So Elizabeth was stuck in the hot velvet, in the dimming summer light as she watched the gates for Tobias. He said he would come...That meant he was going to be there, right?

There was a loud crack nearby and Elizabeth turned quickly to the gates, seeing two men appear. Elizabeth moved closer, then grinned brightly and waved as she noticed the shorter one was a familiar blond boy a year older than she was. Tobias waved back and said something to the older man before coming over.

"You look lovely, Elizabeth," Tobias said with a grin. Elizabeth felt her face grow hot.

"Thanks," she said, taking in Tobias with his simple green dress robes, "You look great yourself."

"I'm glad you invited me," Tobias said, "Never been to a wedding."

"This is my first one, too," Elizabeth said, starting back towards the tent nearby, Tobias walking along beside her, "It's been a bit of a rush getting everything together. Never really understood why they wanted to move everything up."

"They had to have their reasons," Tobias said, "Are you a part of the wedding?"

"No," Elizabeth shook her head, taking a seat and Tobias sat next to her, "They wanted the wedding party to be small. It's just my mum, and Xavier's cousin."

"Small and homey, that sounds nice," Tobias said.

Elizabeth grinned back, and the two chatted as night fell around them, and the lanterns were lit, bathing the tent in a silver glow. Elizabeth straightened up a bit, knowing the wedding was about to start.

And the wedding went beautifully, as far as Elizabeth was concerned. Her aunt looked perfect in her pale gold dress robes—even with the fact she'd been starting to put on a weight the past month—and Xavier looked quite handsome in his own dark ones. Elizabeth applauded with everyone else as the couple were announced married, and when things moved to dancing, Elizabeth had barely gotten out of her seat when Tobias was holding his hand out to her.

"So, how about it?" he asked with a grin.

"I...er...I'm not good at dancing," Elizabeth muttered.

"Then I'll teach you."

Elizabeth felt herself blushing as she took Tobias' hand and let him lead her out to the dance floor. Elizabeth had to admit, she had a lot of fun that night. Moving from one dance to the next until her feet hurt, and her stomach growled, and she and Tobias found a table to sit and enjoy a meal.

"Your aunt knows how to throw a party," Tobias said with a grin some minutes later after they've finished sandwiches.

"It has been a lot of fun," Elizabeth laughed, looking around. Lewis was currently dancing with their mother, while Xavier and Ginger were sitting on their own and talking softly.

"Plus Mr. Gretchen's home is really nice," Tobias said.

"Yeah, he's an Obliviator," Elizabeth said, "They apparently get paid pretty well." Elizabeth looked over at Tobias, "Want a tour of the garden?"

"That'd be great, sure."

Elizabeth grinned as she got up, heading towards the garden nearby. They still had some light from the lanterns nearby, plus with the full moon shining overhead and Elizabeth could still hear music from the band nearby. Elizabeth felt herself blushing a bit. She couldn't help but think, out here in simi-privacy, holding hands as they walked through a moonlit garden with music in the background...It was pretty romantic. Like from a story.

"Looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts?" Tobias asked as they stopped at a bench and sat down, overlooking a vegetable patch.

"Actually, yes," Elizabeth said, "I've signed up for Divination and Muggle Studies. It'll be interesting learning more about them."

"I take Muggle Studies, the Muggles are really fascinating," Tobias agreed with a grin, "But Divination? Never really had an interest in it. Mum always said it was just hogwash."

Elizabeth grinned back, but she held her tongue. She had a feeling there was more to Divination than just 'hogwash'. Mainly from her own personal experiences. Feelings of dread she'd get when things were going bad. She knew she was no Seer, but that didn't mean she couldn't find out a bit more about the Sight in general...

"Though Ancient Runes is really nice," Tobias said, "But you didn't sign up for that one?"

"No. I'm horrid with things like that."

Tobias laughed, grinning at Elizabeth as he squeezed her hand—he hadn't seemed to want to let go of it since they started walking. Elizabeth found herself grinning back, and things seemed to fall quiet between them. But it wasn't an awkward, uncomfortable silence.

The next thing Elizabeth knew, Tobias had leaned closer—and his lips met hers. Elizabeth froze in shock, her eyes widening. Tobias was...he was actually kissing her...

Tobias pulled back instantly, and Elizabeth still sat there in shock.

"Sorry..." he whispered, "Was that...I shouldn't have."

"No!" Elizabeth said, her voice high, "No! It's not that. Sorry. It's just...It surprised me."

"Oh," Tobias said, an awkward grin on his face, "Good."

Elizabeth giggled, leaning up and kissing Tobias, this time closing her eyes. This moment...Kissing a boy...Well, kissing Tobias...She'd thought about it a lot. And now here she was, actually doing it...

Someone cleared their throat nearby and Elizabeth leapt to her feet with a squeal, turning quickly. Her face went red as she noticed her brother was standing nearby, his arms crossed over his chest.

"L-Lewis," Tobias said behind Elizabeth, sounding nervous, "I...Um..."

"We were just..." Elizabeth's voice squeaked, as she fiddled with the sleeves of her dress robes.

"Mum was looking for you," Lewis said, looking at Elizabeth, "The guests are leaving, and she wants to head home too."

"Oh..." Elizabeth said, looking over at Tobias, "Um, looks like I have to go...See you at Hogwarts?"

"Of course," Tobias said, "I can't wait to give you a tour of Hogsmeade."

Elizabeth grinned at that, hugging Tobias before turning and heading off after her brother. The thought of her first kiss swimming around her mind...And a boyfriend. She had a boyfriend now. It didn't matter that Lewis was annoyed. She was far too cheerful to let anything get her down now.


	2. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two:**_

The next couple of days, Elizabeth felt almost as if she were on a sugar high. The events of the wedding, and the fact she'd had her first kiss, she didn't think anything could get her down. Not even the way Lewis would grumble any time Tobias was mentioned.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth was proven wrong a few days later with the arrival of the _Daily Prophet_. Elizabeth had just finished her oatmeal when the morning mail arrived, and she noticed her mother went pale when she unrolled the newspaper.

"Mum? What's wrong?" Lewis asked, reaching over for the paper.

"It's nothing, I don't want you two to worry," Grace said.

"Mum, we're going to find out either way," Lewis said, "Something on the front page of the paper? Everyone will be talking about it."

Grace sighed. She apparently thought Lewis was right, because she spread the paper out. Elizabeth leaned over, then suddenly felt sick. There was a headline she thought she'd never see:

**AZKABAN FIRST: MASS MURDERER ESCAPES THE INESCAPABLE**

_Late in the evening of July 25th, Prime Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was informed for the first time in history that Azkaban was missing a prisoner. It was discovered that the mass murderer known as Sirius Black was missing from his cell and, after a thorough search of the prison by the guards, it was determined that he was no longer on the island._

_Sirius Black was one of Azkaban's most dangerous prisoners. Twelve years ago, he killed over a dozen Muggles with a single curse that destroyed a city street. He was serving a life sentence when he escaped and is considered deranged and dangerous. _

_This situation is severe enough that, for the first time in years, the Minister for Magic was forced to make contact with the Muggle Prime Minister. The Muggle world has been informed of Black's escape, though they will only believe that he is an escaped Muggle prisoner and is not to be approached._

_Black is, indeed, very dangerous and not to be approached under any circumstances. Any sightings should be reported to the Ministry of Magic immediately._

The article was accompanied by a black-and-white image of a man with a gaunt face, long, tangled dark hair and hollow-looking eyes. Elizabeth just stared at the picture, a sickening feeling tightening her stomach. This man had escaped just a day before Aunt Ginger's wedding...Elizabeth couldn't help but think of sitting in the garden with Tobias. That there could have been a chance that a deranged murderer was lurking just out of sight...

"I want you two coming with me to work from now on," Grace said.

"Mum, I'm fifteen," Lewis said, "I think I can—"

"This isn't up for discussion, Lewis," Grace cut in, "I'm not leaving you two home alone with a madman on the loose. No one escapes Azkaban..."

Grace trailed off, but she didn't need to finish. No one ever escaped Azkaban before. The fact someone had now...That someone was able to escape Dementors after years around them...Black definitely was a dangerous person.

The dark mood hung over the house the rest of the day. Not even baking lifting any spirits, even with the fact that Elizabeth was helping her mother bake the cookies to send to Harry for his birthday. Elizabeth knew Harry was neglected by his Muggle aunt and uncle, and thought he'd enjoy some sweets that were just for him.

Though as Elizabeth tied the parcel of cookies, plus a birthday card, to their family owl and sent her off, she didn't really feel all that cheerful. The article in the _Daily Prophet_ was still swarming in her head.

It was something that hung in the air over the next month. Elizabeth tried to ignore it and be normal, but with how nervous her mother was—and the fact she was now spending long days in St. Mungos' waiting room with Lewis, working on Hogwarts summer assignments—meant there was little to do but think about what had happened.

That's why Elizabeth found herself relieved when, a week before the summer holidays were to end, Grace said they were going to head to Diagon Alley to do school shopping.

"Will Aunt Ginger come this time?" Lewis asked. They hadn't seen much of her since the wedding—though Elizabeth felt that wasn't surprising. After all, she was a newlywed.

"No, she doesn't want to risk Apparition right now," Grace said.

"What? Why not?" Elizabeth asked in confusion as she finished her toast.

"Well, your aunt is pregnant," Grace said.

"Pregnant?" Elizabeth sat up straighter, "We're going to have a cousin?"

"They sure worked fast, didn't they?" Lewis asked.

"Lewis!" Grace snapped, "I better not ever hear you say something like that again!"

Elizabeth laughed, though she cut off when her mother glared at her. She had to admit, though, it was nice to have good news after the way the last month had gone.

Once breakfast was done, the three made a quick Floo trip to The Leaky Caldron right outside of Diagon Alley, and soon went to Gringotts to get money from their bank vault. As they were leaving the bank, however, Elizabeth noticed a familiar black-haired boy with glasses across the street.

"Harry?" Elizabeth moved away from her mother, hurrying over, "What're you doing here?"

Harry looked up, grinning as Elizabeth reached him. He'd gotten taller over the summer—of course, so had Elizabeth—and his hair was as untidy as ever, though he kept his bangs flattened down over a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

"Hey, I was hoping I'd run into you around here," Harry said.

"What're you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, "I didn't even know I was coming until this morning."

"Can I explain later?" Harry asked, glancing at Grace and Lewis as they came over.

"Sure," Elizabeth looked to her mother and brother as well, "Can I do my shopping with Harry? I'll promise I'll be careful, and I'll meet you back at the Leaky Cauldron in a couple of hours."

Grace frowned and looked around the street, then finally sighed.

"Don't leave Diagon Alley," she said, apparently deeming it safe enough for two thirteen-year-olds to walk along a crowded street, "And be at the Leaky Cauldron by noon."

"I promise," Elizabeth said, waving after her mother and brother, then turning back to Harry, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I've been staying here the past couple of weeks," Harry said, "I kind of...blew up my Aunt Marge..."

"You..._what_?" Elizabeth stared at Harry, "You...You could have been expelled for that!"

"I thought I was going to get _arrested_," Harry said, "Especially when I ran into the Minister for Magic...But he just told me it was an accident, they fixed my aunt, and I was to stay here at the Leaky Cauldron until school started."

"Must be because it's you," Elizabeth said slowly, "Famous Harry Potter...It'd probably be bad press to arrest you."

"Maybe," Harry said, then changing the subject, "You're here to get your school supplies, right? I'll come along. I haven't gotten mine yet."

"Sounds good," Elizabeth said, "I haven't heard from Ron yet, or Hermione. I don't think either are back from their vacations."

"I've been keeping an eye out for them myself," Harry said, starting off down the street, "I haven't seen them either. Let's stop by Madam Malkin's first, my robes are starting to get too short."

"So have mine," Elizabeth said, following Harry into the robe shop.

The two enjoyed themselves, talking Quidditch and Hogwarts as they got new robes and drifted from shop to shop, stocking up on supplies they needed, especially for Potions. Elizabeth also needed a new pair of dragonskin gloves, as hers had developed holes in several fingers. Lastly, they made their way to Flourish and Blotts. As they approached, Elizabeth noticed the display at the front of the store had changed. Instead of the usual spellbooks, there was a cage of books that seemed to be alive, and attacking each other.

"_The Monster Book of Monsters_," Harry said, seeing Elizabeth staring at the cage, "Hagrid sent me a copy for my birthday."

"Why would he give you an _attacking_ book?" Elizabeth asked, confused, and looking over at Harry, who was pulling out his school list.

"Apparently it's one I have to get this year..." Harry said slowly. Elizabeth immediately pulled her own list out and scanned over it. _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3_. _Defogging the Future_. And _Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles_. There was no _Monster Book of Monsters_ on her list.

"It's not on mine," Elizabeth said, "But you're taking Care of Magical Creatures, right? I'm not."

"Whoever the new teacher is has a poor sense of humor," Harry said, heading inside, Elizabeth right behind. Immediately, a man came up to them.

"Hogwarts? Both of you? Come to get your new books?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Get out of the way," the manager cut in, pushing past Harry and picking up a thick pair of dragonskin gloves, reaching for the cage of attacking books.

"Hang on, I've already got one of those!"

"And I'm not taking Care of Magical Creatures," Elizabeth added, "I don't need one."

"Oh thank heavens for that," the man said in relief, stepping back and all-too-quickly pulling off the gloves, "I've been bitten five times already this morning—Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Elizabeth asked, jumping a little.

"Not you, the books," the man said, grabbing a stick and raddling it in the cage to separate where two books were ganging up on a third, "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility—cost a fortune, and we never found them...Well...is there anything else I can help you two with?"

"No, I think we can manage on our own," Elizabeth said with a grin, heading on into the store with Harry.

"I feel sorry for that manager," Harry said, "Did you see how relieved he was that we didn't need a copy of that book?"

"I know," Elizabeth shook her head, "I wonder what Professor Kettleburn was thinking...Lewis takes Care of Magical Creatures, and they've never had to use an attacking book..."

"Why didn't you want to take Care of Magical Creatures, anyway?" Harry asked, picking up a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three_ and handing it over to Elizabeth before picking up his own.

"I've never really been interested in them," Elizabeth said, shrugging, "I mean, if I need to find out anything, I can just look it up. I'd rather learn about Muggles so I can relate to them easier as a Healer, Mum says sometimes they have to deal with Muggles. And since last year, I thought Divination could be useful."

"Why's that?"

Elizabeth flushed, hiding her face by preoccupying herself with scanning shelves for her book for Muggle Studies. She'd never really talked to her friends about those feelings she got, the ones of dread before something bad happened...Well, she'd sort-of talked about it to Ron, but that was more just talking about the possibility of it happening. Not that she herself dealt with it.

"It's...Something I've notice happens," Elizabeth said, finding the right book and pulling it off the shelf, "Even back during our first year at Hogwarts, but I didn't start paying much attention to it until last year..."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, "You're seeing the future or something?"

"No, no," Elizabeth shook her head quickly, glancing to the manager, who wasn't paying them any attention because another student had come in and apparently needed a copy of _Monster Book of Monsters_. Elizabeth sighed, looking back to Harry.

"Seers are really, really rare, Harry," she said softly, "But some people can be open to it. And, well, sometimes I would get these...feelings that something was going to happen. Like a gut feeling, and it usually turned out to be right."

Harry just stared at Elizabeth, and she felt herself blushing. He didn't believe her, did he?

"It's probably just all coincidence," Elizabeth went on quickly, moving towards the section of Divination books, "But it's why I decided to take Divination. It could be useful, if it turns out to be something more than hogwash."

Still, it felt nice to actually say it. To get it out there instead of keeping it bottled up. And saying it all out loud did make it seem a little silly...Elizabeth shook her head, picking up a couple of copies of _Unfogging the Future_ and turned to Harry, who was staring at a book display. Elizabeth followed his gaze and noticed he was staring at a book called _Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming_, that had a drawing of a grim—a large, black dog that was an omen of death—on the cover.

"Harry, you don't need to go reading into that," Elizabeth said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Sure, Divination is useful, but death omens...All they do is—"

"Were you serious?" Harry looked up at Elizabeth and she noticed he was pale, "About your feelings you get?"

"Y-yes," Elizabeth said, taken aback, "Yeah, like I said, it's why I'm taking Divination."

"I...I think I've seen that," Harry said softly, nodding to the picture of the grim, "The night I ran away from the Dursleys...I thought it was just a stray dog, but..."

"I-I'm sure it just was a stray," Elizabeth said weakly, her voice squeaking slightly as she felt a jolt of fear. The thought that Harry might have seen a grim...But no. He was fine.

"It was just a stray, Harry," Elizabeth tried to sound more sure, "I mean, it was weeks ago, and you haven't seen it again right?"

"No, I haven't," Harry said, looking a little reassured, "You're right, it had to just be a stray."

Elizabeth grinned and handed over the text book, then the two went and paid for their things before leaving. As it was getting close to noon, they started back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Thanks for listening, Harry," Elizabeth said, "I haven't really talked with anyone about this yet, and it was nice getting it out in the open."

"Well, if there's one thing I'm good for, it's listening," Harry said with a smirk, and Elizabeth gave a laugh at that. Harry never listened. It was one thing that got them into trouble so much.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron, where Elizabeth told Harry goodbye before meeting up with Grace and Lewis.

"Did you get everything?" Grace asked, looking over Elizabeth's bags.

"Yes ma'am," Elizabeth said with a nod, "New robes, gloves, restocked my potion supplies, and got my books."

"Good," Grace said, "Come on, let's get everything home."

Elizabeth grinned and followed her mother, glancing over her shoulder and giving Harry a final wave as he headed up the stairs of the Leaky Cauldron. She'd see him again in another week, as well as her other friends. Elizabeth found herself looking forward to the new year at Hogwarts approaching.


	3. Chapter Three

_**Chapter Three:**_

September first came as a day of panic. Elizabeth was woken up with her mother shouting that they were late. And they were. Everything was a blur of panic of last-minute packing and getting Cream in her cage before heading out.

And as they reached platform nine and three-quarters, the whistle on the Hogwarts Express was already blowing. Elizabeth was panicking, her stomach tying into knots as she an Lewis rushed to get onto the train and pull their trunks on with seconds to spare, Elizabeth barely getting time to lean out and wave to her mother as the train jolted to a start.

"Bye, mum!" Elizabeth called.

"You two behave yourselves!" Grace called, waving after them.

"I'll keep her out of trouble!" Lewis called back and Elizabeth groaned, rolling her eyes as the train rounded the corner and the platform disappeared from sight.

"I'm going to go find my friends," Elizabeth said, grabbing hold of her trunk, carrying Cream's cage in the other hand.

"Yeah, I want to see if I can catch Cedric before he has to go get his duties," Lewis said, starting off.

Elizabeth grinned, turning and starting along the corridor, looking for signs of anyone she knew. Cedric had made prefect this year, as well as captain of the Quidditch team, something Elizabeth knew Cedric had to be proud of.

As Elizabeth walked, something nagged at her, and after a moment, she realized what it was and she stopped in the corridor. She'd been having one of those sick feelings since she woke up that morning, but everything was in such a chaotic rush, she simply thought it was worry she'd miss the train. But now, on the train and on her way to Hogwarts, the feeling was still twisting in her stomach...Did that mean something was going to happen? On their ride to school...She hadn't even made it to Hogwarts yet and things were starting...She had a feeling this wouldn't be a good sign for the year.

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth jumped with a yelp and spun around, then breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed it was Harry, Ron, and Hermione, none of them with their trunks, nor was Harry carrying Hedwig.

"Hey, sorry, we barely made it in time I haven't had a chance to look for you," Elizabeth said.

"We have a compartment at the end of the train," Harry said, "Come on, there's something I want to talk to all of you about."

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, noticing the tone in Harry's voice, "Did something happen?"

"I'll explain when we're alone," Harry said, starting on down the corridor of the train. Elizabeth followed her friends, dragging along her trunk. She noticed both Ron and Hermione looked as confused as Elizabeth did over whatever this was.

Harry led them to the end of the train, but stopped outside the very last one at the end of the train and stared.

"What is it?" Elizabeth moved closer, leaning past Hermione next to her and noticing the compartment was empty, save for one person who appeared to be asleep. He looked too old to be a student, and even though he appeared to be in his thirties, his hair had streaks of gray in it and his clothes were battered and torn.

"Was he here before?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, this compartment was empty when we loaded our things," Ron said, "Who d'you reckon he is?"

They crept inside quietly, Harry helping Elizabeth get her trunk up onto the luggage rack before they all took seats as far from the man as they could, so they wouldn't disturb him.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione whispered, looking up above them. Elizabeth followed her gaze and saw a worn case with those very words printed on the corner.

"Maybe he's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Elizabeth said, "Hopefully he's better than the past ones we've had."

Elizabeth had always been pretty bad with Defense Against the Dark Arts. She didn't know if she was just naturally horrid at it—which wouldn't surprise her, as she was quite horrid at Charms too—or if it was because they hadn't had a good teacher in the past two years. And from how worn down this man seemed, she wondered if this would be another case of bad teachers.

Elizabeth straightened up, then noticed Hermione with a wicker cage in her lap.

"When did you get a cat?" she asked.

"He's not a cat, he's a monster," Ron said sharply, "And don't let him out!"

"I got him yesterday," Hermione said with a glare at Ron as she opened the cage and a large, orange tabby cat with a squashed face hopped out. With a stretch, he hopped onto Ron's lap, only to be shoved off again and Ron covered his pocket where Elizabeth figured Scabbers was hiding. Elizabeth went ahead and let Cream out too, and the two cats started sniffing at each other.

"I was going to get an owl," Hermione went on, "But then the shop owner started talking about how poor Crookshanks had been there for years, that no one wanted him."

"Because he's a monster," Ron hissed.

"Honestly, Ron, he's a cat!" Hermione snapped, "And you've never had a problem with Elizabeth's!"

"Cream's never tried to eat Scabbers!" Ron shot back.

"Both of you, be quiet before you wake up Professor Lupin!" Elizabeth hissed, glancing to the teacher, who shifted a little in his seat against the window, "Besides, we've got something bigger to deal with." Elizabeth turned back to Harry. "What were you going to tell us?"

Harry glanced towards Professor Lupin, then leaned closer. Elizabeth, Hermione, and Ron leaned in as well.

"Last night, when I went downstairs to get Scabbers' rat tonic?" Harry started, looking to Ron, "I...Overheard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arguing. About me."

"About you?" Ron asked, "Why were they arguing about you?"

"About wanting to tell me something," Harry said, "Mr. Weasley wanted to, but Mrs. Weasley didn't...It's about Sirius Black. Apparently...Well, they, and the Ministry, apparently, think Black escaped to try and kill me."

"_Kill_ you?" Elizabeth asked weakly, feeling sick as she covered her mouth with her hand, "Why _you_?"

"He was one of Voldemort's most loyal supporters, apparently," Harry said—Elizabeth winced at the name, "Maybe he thinks killing me will bring him back."

"He's insane," Elizabeth said, "We have to be careful this year. We have to try and stay out of trouble, not get dragged into anything..."

"That will be easier said than done," Harry said sarcastically, "Though Mr. Weasley apparently thought the same. He made me promise not to go looking for Black."

"How thick do you have to be to go looking for someone who wants to kill you?" Ron asked with a snort.

"They'll have to catch Black soon," Elizabeth said softly, "They have the word out, and even the Muggles are alerted...He can't stay hidden forever."

"But no one has ever escaped Azkaban before," Ron said, "And he was a high security prisoner, too—what's that sound?"

Elizabeth paused and, sure enough, there was a faint whistling noise coming from somewhere in the compartment. She noticed the noise got louder as she got near the trunks.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," Ron said, leaning up to check, as he was the tallest. He sat back down, holding out his hand where something that looked like a glass toy top was spinning and whistling.

"Is that a _Sneakoscope_?" Hermione asked, leaning closer. Elizabeth leaned closer herself. She'd head a lot about Sneakoscopes but had never actually seen them before. They were supposed to be able to tell you when someone untrustworthy was around.

"Yeah, mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said, "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" Hermione asked sternly.

"No! Well...I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys...But how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry said, "Before it wakes the professor up."

Ron immediately put the Sneakoscope away before sitting down and they all settled back to their seats.

"Take it with you to Hogsmeade," Elizabeth said, "You can get it checked. I would go with you, but Tobias promised to take me on a tour—"

"Who's Tobias?" Ron asked, but Harry had spoken up before Elizabeth could answer.

"I would, but I can't go to Hogsmeade," he said, "I'm not allowed. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form."

"_You're not allowed to come?_" Ron asked, horrified, "But—no way—McGonagall or someone will give you permission—"

Harry snorted at that and Elizabeth agreed. Professor McGonagall was a very stern woman.

"—or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle—"

"Have we forgotten the whole 'stay out of trouble' thing?" Elizabeth asked.

"Harry really shouldn't be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose," Hermione added sharply.

"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask for permission," Harry said bitterly.

"But if _we're_ with him, Black wouldn't dare—"

"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," Hermione cut in, "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because _we're_ there?"

"Hermione's right," Elizabeth said, then wanting the subject dropped, she brought up their new classes and what they were looking forward to taking and theorizing why Professor Kettleburn assigned Care of Magical Creatures students an attacking book.

All the while, Elizabeth's knotted stomach wouldn't undo itself and sometime after the food trolley had been by, she finally got up, smoothing down her skirt.

"I want to go find Tobias," she said, hoping walking would settle her down, "Tell him hello before we reach Hogwarts..."

"Who _is_ Tobias, anyway?" Ron asked again and Elizabeth flushed brightly.

"My boyfriend," she said, hurrying on out of the compartment before she had to endure any teasing from the guys. She wanted to avoid the teasing, the laughing, and worse, the 'When did you get a boyfriend?' questions.

Elizabeth made her way along the corridor, walking up the train. She stopped at a few compartments to say hello to people she knew, mostly Hufflepuffs she knew such as Sally-Anne Perkins and Megan Jones sitting with Ernie MacMillan. She even ran into Cedric at one point while he was on patrol.

"Congratulations, Cedric," Elizabeth said as she paused her walk, "Prefect and Quidditch captain. That's a huge deal."

"Thanks," Cedric said with a laugh, "I'm really nervous that this is a mistake, or I'm going to mess something up..."

"I'm sure anyone would be," Elizabeth said, "But I can't think of a better prefect. Well, except maybe Lewis..."

Cedric laughed at that and nodded.

"Hey, Elizabeth, I was just looking for you!"

Elizabeth turned, then grinned brightly as she noticed Tobias coming along the corridor. She barely had time to tell him hello, though, when the train suddenly lurched to a stop and Elizabeth yelped, stumbling into Tobias. He caught her easily, holding her against him and they both looked at Cedric, who was looking out a nearby window worriedly.

"We shouldn't be at Hogwarts yet," he said, staring out the rain-streaked window, just as the lights went out. Elizabeth's breath caught and she tightened her grip on Tobias' shirt, her heart hammering and her stomach twisting more and more. That feeling of dread was growing stronger...

"_Lumos_," came Cedric's voice, and a soft light illuminated the hall around them as he stepped to the compartment they were next to, looking in, "Excuse me, can we come in here for a moment? Just until the power is back on?"

"Yeah, come on in," a male voice inside said. Cedric led them in and Elizabeth glanced around in the dim light and noticed a few students she didn't recognize, though they seemed like sixth or seventh years. She felt out of place, and childish for gripping to Tobias, though he had his arm around her and she couldn't seem to let go as they sat down.

"I'm going to go see what's wrong," Cedric said, "I'll be back in a min—"

Cedric didn't finish what he was going to say. A chill crept into the room around them, and Cedric slowly turned around. Elizabeth's heart was hammering in her chest as she looked up—and gasped.

In the doorway was a tall, cloaked figure that took up the entire doorframe, its figure hidden by the ragged cloak. Except for long, skeletal hands that looked covered in rotting flesh.

Elizabeth shuttered, finding herself unable to think. All she could focus on was the overwhelming dread, more than anything she'd felt before, swarming in her...the thought that nothing mattered, that cheerfulness was just an illusion she'd never have...

And as soon as it came, it was gone again. The creature had drifted away down the corridor again and, slowly, the chill left the air. The dread and churning of her stomach were subsiding. Though she still felt sick and she leaned into Tobias.

"Was...Was that a dementor?" a sixth year asked, "I thought they never left Azkaban..."

"Dementor?" Tobias asked, "Here, on the train?"

Lights began flickering back to life along the train and, slowly, it started moving again. Cedric, looking sick and pale himself, pocketed his wand as he moved to the door.

"I'm going to check on other students," he said and Elizabeth got to her feet.

"I...I want to find Lewis," Elizabeth said, "And check on my friends."

"I'll come with you," Tobias said, taking Elizabeth's hand, "Come on."

Elizabeth didn't want to turn down company, so she tightened her hand around Tobias' as they started down the train towards the back.

"We were in one of the last compartments," Elizabeth said softly, staying close to Tobias, "I hate dementors."

"I've heard horror stories about them," Tobias said, "I never thought I'd actually see one..."

"Mum saw some, once," Elizabeth said, "She had to go to Azkaban, and she said she will never go again."

The two fell quiet, but Elizabeth was comforted enough just having Tobias there as they made their way down the train. Elizabeth noticed, however, that the entire train was quiet. Really all they could hear was the sound of the train itself.

They stopped once to assure Lewis that Elizabeth was okay, before heading on down the train. As they neared, however, the announcement came that they were five minutes from Hogwarts.

"You should go on," Elizabeth said, leaning up and kissing Tobias on the cheek, "I'll see you at the feast, okay?"

"Okay, take care," Tobias said, squeezing Elizabeth's hand again before heading on down the train. Elizabeth watched him, then turned and headed into the compartment where her friends were, passing Neville and Ginny along the way.

"Elizabeth! Are you okay?" Hermione asked, coming over.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elizabeth said, going to get her robes, noticing someone was missing, "Where did Professor Lupin go?"

"He went to check on other students," Harry said.

Elizabeth nodded. They all got their robes on quietly as the train pulled to a stop and Elizabeth and Hermione got their cats back into the carriers before heading onto the freezing platform as the rain came down. Elizabeth didn't care about the cold. She was just glad to be off the train, and that the warmth of the castle was just a carriage ride away.

Elizabeth climbed into one of the horseless carriages with her friends, noticing Hermione and Ron were watching Harry far too closely.

"Did something happen?" Elizabeth asked, looking to Harry.

"No," Harry said quickly.

"Harry," Hermione said, "You passed out. That's not nothing—"

"What?" Elizabeth asked, "When did this happen?"

"When the dementors showed up," Ron said, "It was horrible..."

"Can we not talk about this?" Harry asked, sounding a bit irritated.

Things seemed colder in the carriage suddenly, and it wasn't from Harry. Elizabeth noticed as they passed the gates, dementors were standing guard. Elizabeth shuddered a little. Were the dementors going to stay at the castle all year?

The coldness passed and the carriage fell into an awkward silence as the carriages made their way to the castle. Elizabeth kept glancing at Harry, who still looked pale. She really hoped the train trip wasn't a sign of how their year would go, but Elizabeth had a sinking feeling that they were in for another dangerous year...


	4. Chapter Four

_**Chapter Four:**_

When the carriages came to a stop in front of Hogwarts doors, Elizabeth was eager to get into the warmth of the castle. She pulled the hood up over her robes, against the slight rain that was still falling and started for the door with her friends.

"You _fainted_, Potter?" a familiar voice came behind them, "Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually _fainted_?"

Elizabeth stumbled to the side as someone pushed past her, and she glared at the familiar boy with pale blond hair and gray eyes, blocking the door and looking at them as if Christmas came early. Elizabeth knew she'd run into her least favorite person at some point, but she had hoped it wouldn't be her first day.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron snapped.

"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" Malfoy was raising his voice now, as if he wanted everyone around to hear, "Did the scary old dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"

"Is there a problem?"

Elizabeth turned to see Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage. Awake, he looked just as run-down as he had when he was sleeping.

"Oh, no—er—_Professor_," Malfoy said, looking as if he were fighting back a smirk as he studied Professor Lupin's disheveled appearance before heading inside with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Let's go," Elizabeth said, nudging everyone inside. She rubbed her arms, glad to be out of the misty rain.

The entrance hall was large and crowded, with its massive marble staircase leading to upper floors and doors to the left leading to the dungeons and basements. And to the right, the Great Hall. Elizabeth started for it, hearing the conversations buzzing and she was eager to get to the Hufflepuff table.

"Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"

Elizabeth spun around to see Professor McGonagall near the stairs leading up, standing tall and stern with her dark hair in a tight bun and sharp gaze that made Elizabeth squirm—even if Transfiguration was her favorite class.

"Let us know what it's about later," Elizabeth said, pushing Ron into the Great Ha and watching as Harry and Hermione fought their way towards Professor McGonagall.

"We haven't had _time_ to get into trouble yet," Ron said worriedly, "What's this about?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll tell us later," Elizabeth said, heading through the Great Hall to the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables right next to each other. Elizabeth separated from Ron and made her way along the Hufflepuff table, quickly finding her fellow third-years and sitting with them.

"Oh, I hope those dementors aren't staying," Hannah Abbott—a blond-haired girl who was one of Elizabeth's roommates—was saying, "They were horrible on the train, and having to pass them on the way in..."

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will explain during the speech," said Susan Bones, another of Elizabeth's roommates, with dark hair and a confident face, "And even if they are staying, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't let them near the students."

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth gave a groan as she looked over to a second-year boy from her House. Probably the one person in her house she wasn't too fond of: Zacharias Smith. He was an arrogant boy who often thought himself above others.

"What is it, Zacharias?" Elizabeth asked with a sigh. Just get it done and over with.

"There's a rumor going around that Harry Potter fainted on the train," Zacharias said, leaning forward on the table, "You're his friend. Is it true?"

"I never saw him faint," Elizabeth said simply. It was basically the truth. She wasn't there when Harry fainted, after all. And she wasn't going to go spreading around the story when it already bothered Harry as it was.

"Then where is he?" Zacharias asked, "He wasn't with you when you came in."

"And I wasn't with Hannah, or Susan, or Ernie," Elizabeth shot back, "But I'm friends with them. You don't have to be around someone all the time to be friends with them."

Zacharias didn't seem to know how to respond to that one, because he suddenly turned away to the others he was with, and Elizabeth turned back to the others, just as Professor Flitwick came in, leading a line of nervous-looking first years.

"Why isn't Professor McGonagall doing this?" asked Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Muggle-born boy in Elizabeth's year.

"She needed to talk to Harry and Hermione about something," Elizabeth said, "They're not in trouble, but I don't really know what it's about."

The Sorting happened much the same as the year before. The Sorting Hat sang its song about the founding members of Hogwarts, then proceeded to Sort the hundred or so new students into one of the four Houses: Hufflepuff—Elizabeth's House—Gryffindor—where Ron, Harry, and Hermione were—Ravenclaw, and Slytherin—which was where Malfoy and his goons were.

Just as Flitwick started to take away the stool, the Great Hall doors edged open and Elizabeth looked up to see Harry and Hermione coming in. A few whispers started echoing through the hall as people kept turning to look at Harry.

"Looks like that story of him fainting spread fast," Elizabeth whispered in disgust. Didn't they have anything better to talk about? Though she leaned over as Harry and Hermione sat next to Ron at the Gryffindor table just behind where Elizabeth was.

"Everything okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah, fine," Harry whispered as Dumbledore rose to his feet and Elizabeth straightened back up in her seat at the Hufflepuff table.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said, spreading his arms wide as he often did to greet students during his yearly speech, the flames of candles flickering off the lenses of his glasses, his white beard seeming to stand out more than usual against his purple robes, "I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast...As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

"Bet you a galleon that this was forced on us," Oliver whispered as he noted Dumbledore's sour look.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore went on, "And while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand leading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors."

"What a cheerful way to start the year," Susan said sarcastically.

"On a happier note," Dumbledore said a bit louder, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Elizabeth clapped with the rest, the scattered, polite pause echoing around as Professor Lupin nodded to the students.

"Let's hope he's better than our last two," Rodger whispered.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore waved for silence, "Well. I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Elizabeth stared in shock. Hagrid had been expelled from Hogwarts during his third year of schooling, which she thought would disqualify him as a teacher, no matter how good he was. Hagrid was a large man, nearly twelve feet tall, and with a head and full beard of tangled hair, Hagrid was often very intimidating, but harmless in personality. However, Elizabeth knew his interest in animals made up for that...After all, he raised giant spiders in the forest, and in Elizabeth's first year, he'd taken care of a giant three-headed dog, and tried to raise a dragon illegally in his hut.

Elizabeth suddenly found herself guiltily relieved that she wasn't taking Care of Magical Creatures. Though she would still go congratulate him once the feast was over. After all, she was sure Hagrid was excited for his new job, and she was excited for him. She just wasn't sure she wanted to see what type of creatures Hagrid would bring in to teach about.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," Dumbledore said, giving his hands a quick clap, "Let the feast begin!"

At once, the plates in the center of the table filled with food, pitchers filled with drinks. Elizabeth felt like she was starving, and immediately piled her plate.

"I think everyone is hungrier than usual," Hannah said, looking around to see most everyone had gotten more food than they usually do.

"It's those dementors," Tobias said from a few seats down, "They'll do that to you. A good meal and a good night's sleep will make us all feel better."

Elizabeth hoped Tobias was right as she turned back to her own plate.

"Can we talk about something besides the dementors?" Wayne asked, "Like what we usually talk about the first day? How was your summers?"

They fell into their normal routine very easily, chatting and having fun sharing summer stories over the feast. Elizabeth was glad to be back in the castle walls. As much as she liked being home, and loved her family, she missed her friends. Not so much the classes (except maybe Transfiguration) but she missed talking with her fellow Hufflepuffs, or hanging out in the courtyard or empty classrooms with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was nice to get to see everyone again.

'_Plus, it means dates with Tobias,'_ Elizabeth thought, feeling herself blush a little as she glanced to her boyfriend nearby.

Soon enough, the feast ended and Elizabeth detoured long enough to congratulate Hagrid on the job as teacher, just as Harry, Ron, and Hermione reached the staff table as well.

"Can' believe it..." Hagrid said, his small, black eyes swarming with tears, "Great man, Dumbledore...came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough...It's what I always wanted..."

They didn't get a chance to say anything else, since Professor McGonagall shooed them from the room. Though once they were in the entrance hall, Elizabeth turned to Harry and Hermione.

"What did Professor McGonagall want?" she asked.

"Apparently they found out about me fainting on the train," Harry said, "It was nothing."

"I was just getting something worked out for my schedule," Hermione added, "We should get up to our common room. See you tomorrow, Elizabeth."

"G'night," Elizabeth waved to her friends, then headed off to the basements, soon catching up to the Hufflepuffs heading on into their common room.

Despite being claustrophobic, and despite the Hufflepuff common room being mostly underground, Elizabeth was never uncomfortable. The common room, with its earthy look and overly stuffed chairs and potted plants all around always felt homey. Little round windows were near the ceiling, giving a ground-level view of the Hogwarts grounds outside, and a large fireplace decorated with badgers was in the center, above which hung a large, moving portrait of the Hufflepuff founder: Helga Hufflepuff.

Elizabeth made her way towards the girls' dormitories and into the central round room, making her way to the room across from the common room, and into the arched-outward bedroom she shared with four other girls. It was amazing to be back in the cozy room, where she changed into pajamas and sat on her bed, Cream curled up at the foot of it.

"So, what's up with you and Tobias?" Megan asked with a smirk once they were all on their beds, "I saw the way you two kept looking at each other at dinner."

Elizabeth blushed brightly, staring down at her hands.

"We're together now," she admitted, "I invited him as my date to my Aunt Ginger's wedding, and things went well."

"Congratulations," Hannah said with a bright grin, "I think you two make a cute couple!"

"Thanks," Elizabeth laughed a little.

The talk of boys kept on, as none of the girls seemed tired. Eventually, however, a prefect came and told them they needed to get to sleep, so they all curled up under their blankets, settling in for their first night at Hogwarts.


	5. Chapter Five

_**Chapter Five:**_

"We're starting new classes today!" Ernie said excitedly as he looked over the class schedules that Professor Sprout just handed out, "I have Muggle Studies right after breakfast..."

"So do I," Elizabeth said, looking over her own, "And then Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"And Divination after lunch," Sally-Anne said, "Why did we all decide to sign up for it again?"

"Because Megan thought it would be a good idea," Rodger said, rolling his eyes. Megan glared at him in turn.

"I'm looking forward to Muggle Studies," Elizabeth said, "I mean, with Sally-Anne and Justin going on about their Muggle homes, and hearing things from Hermione and Harry, I've been really curious to learn more."

They finished eating and went their separate ways to classes, Ernie, Elizabeth, and Susan heading to the first floor for Muggle Studies. When they reached the classroom, Elizabeth noticed that it seemed Muggle Studies was not a popular subject. After all, it seemed their class made up of every student who was taking the class. Mostly Ravenclaws, but there were was also a few Gryffindors Elizabeth didn't know. She wasn't surprised to see that there were no Slytherins among them. But overall, there seemed around only twenty or so students making up their class. Barely even half the size of Elizabeth's usual classes.

"Wonder what the professor will be like," Susan said, looking to the closed door nearby, which immediately opened, revealing a tall woman with reddish-brown hair in pale blue robes.

"Looks like we have a good class this year," the woman said with a grin, "I'm Professor Burbage. Come on in, welcome to Muggle Studies."

Elizabeth headed into the room and looked around, finding the walls and shelves filled with odd things she'd never seen before. There was some sort of metal box with a door on it, a little like a safe, but there was glass on the door, allowing the person to see inside and buttons with numbers on it next to the door handle. There was also another sort of large box, but this one had no opening with buttons along the bottom with some sort of gray-toned mirror above it.

There was a shelf nearby that was filled with books with strange titles about animals and witches, or a ruler of jewelry. Boxes that oddly had pictures that didn't move on them and odd labels—scanning them, Elizabeth couldn't help what would be in a box full of 'sorry'. Muggles were definitely weird.

"Muggles really have these things?" Susan asked, staring at the box with the gray mirror as she, Elizabeth, and Ernie found their seats.

"I wonder why they need such a big box with buttons just for a mirror," said a Ravenclaw near them, staring at the box with the gray mirror.

"That, my dear, is called a 'tell-vision'," Professor Burbage said, "Though Muggles like to call it a 'telly' for short. You'll learn their use eventually. For now, we're going to get into the basic introduction to the Muggle world."

Elizabeth pulled out her book, as well as parchment and quill, watching as their teacher got to the desk at the front of the room. Elizabeth heard the door open and looked over her shoulder, blinking in surprise to see Hermione slip in and take a seat in the back of the room. Hermione was Muggle-born. Why was she taking Muggle Studies?

"Welcome to Muggle Studies, everyone," Professor Burbage said, turning Elizabeth's attention back to the teacher, "I hope that this class, over the next few years, will give all of you a much deeper understanding of our Muggle friends, and how they're just like us. They just need some substitutes for magic." Professor Burbage gave a friendly grin as she motioned to her Muggle things around the room. "They work jobs, they write books, and play games. And more importantly, they make friends and fall in love just as we do."

Elizabeth grinned a little, adjusting herself in her seat. She couldn't wait to get started with this class.

"I think we'll start today with a basic understanding of Muggles," Professor Burbage went on, "The best way to learn about something is to look at the common ground, and that is where we will begin in this class. The common ground. So if you'd please open your copies of _Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles_ to chapter one, we will begin the first lesson..."

Elizabeth quickly grew to like the class, just from the first lesson, which consisted to reading the first chapter of their textbook and students asking questions about Muggle myths they'd grown up hearing. Professor Burbage was able to dismiss these myths and set students straight. Elizabeth found herself regretting it when the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"First bit of homework on Muggles," Professor Burbage called over the noise of people gathering their things, "One-foot parchment essay on the comparisons and contrasts of Muggle and Wizard lives."

Elizabeth grinned, turning to go say hello to Hermione, but her friend was already out the door. Elizabeth frowned, but figured she could catch Hermione at lunch.

"That was a lot of fun," Susan said as she, Elizabeth, and Ernie started for the stairs—they had Defense Against the Dark Arts next, and it was a couple floors up, "Who knew Muggles have fireplaces more for decoration than actually warming a room?"

"And they don't use them for travel, either," Ernie said, shaking his head, "Muggles are fascinating, aren't they?"

"And Professor Burbage is really nice," Elizabeth said, "It makes the class more interesting."

They soon made it to the third floor class room that had been for Defense Against the Dark Arts the past two years, and both years the classroom looked quite different. This year followed that same pattern. Gone were the dozens of pictures of fraud Gilderoy Lockhart. In the place were simple shelves filled with books on defensive magic, and a few small creatures in cages and tanks.

Elizabeth found a seat next to Hannah Abbott, Susan sitting on her other side and they were all looking around the classroom as they pulled their things out.

"Do you think Professor Lupin will be any different than our last two teachers?" Hannah asked.

"You mean a nervous wreck and an unfortunate fraud?" Susan asked. She apparently never got over the fact that she used to have a crush on their second year teacher, who had gone on to end up erasing his own memory with a backfired curse.

"Ah, welcome students," Professor Lupin was already waiting in the classroom, grinning at them. Elizabeth couldn't help but noticed he looked a little better than the day before on the train, "My name is Professor Lupin. And I feel the best way to start off a new year is to jump right in. So let's all turn our books to thirty-six, shall we? And who can tell me what a red cap is?"

Several hands went up, though Elizabeth kept her focus on her book as she flipped to the right page.

"Yes...Ernie?" Professor Lupin said, referring to his chart of student names.

"Red caps are small creatures that live in places of violence, like battlegrounds," Ernie said confidently.

"Well said," Professor Lupin responded with a grin, "Five points to Hufflepuff. Now, who can tell me why these creatures are dangerous? Elizabeth, what about you?"

"What?" Elizabeth jumped a bit with a squeak, looking up at the teacher. Hadn't he heard that she wasn't the one to ask about Defense Against the Dark Arts? She was almost as bad at it as she was in Charms...

"Can you tell me why red caps are considered dangerous?" Professor Lupin asked with a caring smile.

"Because...um..." Elizabeth squirmed a little, looking down at the book in front of her, reading the passage, then looking back up, "Because they attack people?"

"That they do," Professor Lupin said, still grinning, "Red caps like violence. They're drawn to places of bloodshed and will hide, ambushing unsuspecting victims in the dark. This makes them incredibly dangerous, especially to Muggles. Even though we do have charms and hexes that can repel a red cap, they're not to be taken lightly. Especially when they've gathered in a group, though that is rare."

There was a scratching of quills, and Elizabeth scrambled to take down the notes with the rest of the class. And Elizabeth had to admit, Professor Lupin made the class interesting. He took the time to thoroughly explain everything, and took everyone's questions without scorn or acting as if the student were being dense for asking it. Elizabeth never thought she'd like Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Professor Lupin did it in a way that made it...more understandable, somehow.

"And this brings your first lesson to a close," Professor Lupin said as the bell rang for lunch, "For homework, please summarize the chapter on red caps. Have a great afternoon, everyone."

"Now that's more what I expected a Defense Against the Dark Arts class to be like," Rodger said as they packed their things and headed out of the classroom, "Professor Lupin really knows what he's talking about, doesn't he?"

"He does," Elizabeth said with a nod, "I could actually keep up with the subject for a change."

"Maybe you'll finally start doing better in the class, then," Wayne teased, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

They made their way into the Great Hall for lunch, where Elizabeth decided to head to the Gryffindor table instead of the Hufflepuff one, finding Harry, Ron, and Hermione all together.

"Hey guys," she said, sitting next to Hermione, about to ask about their day, but she saw Ron's face, "What's wrong?"

"We had Divination this morning," Ron said, "Harry had a grim in his tea leaves."

Elizabeth felt sick, dropping her fork she'd just picked up to start eating. She looked at Harry, thinking of the week before in Flourish and Blotts, where Harry had talked about the dog he'd seen when leaving the Dursleys...

"Professor McGonagall all said it was nonsense, though," Hermione said matter-of-factly, "She told us that Professor Trelawney likes to 'predict' the death of a student every year and it never happens."

"But if Harry has seen a grim," Ron said, his face pale, "That's—that's bad. My—my uncle Bilius saw one and—and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," Hermione said simply.

"Grims are bad," Elizabeth said, "They're omens of death. They terrify people."

"There you are, then," Hermione said, "They see the grim and die of fright. The grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death!" Hermione had yanked out a book, opening it quickly to hide her face behind. "I think Divination seems very woolly. A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

"There was nothing woolly about the grim in that cup!" Ron said.

"You didn't seem so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," Hermione shot back.

"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura—"

"Wait, Hermione was with you in Divination?" Elizabeth cut in, putting pieces together. If Professor McGonagall talked with them about Divination, it meant they had it first period...So when she was having Muggle Studies.

"Of course I was," Hermione said, "I have that class, after all."

"But you were in Muggle Studies this morning," Elizabeth said, "I saw you come in."

"Nonsense," Hermione said, slamming her book shut, "I can't be in two places at once, right?"

Hermione stood up and marched out of the room at that, and Elizabeth looked over at her friends.

"I swear she was in Muggle Studies this morning..." she said slowly.

"She was in Divination," Harry said, "There's no doubt about that. We sat right next to her."

"Maybe I was mistaken..." Elizabeth said slowly, "I mean, I only saw her for a second when she was coming in, and I didn't talk to her..." Elizabeth shook her head, turning back to Harry and Ron, "How was Divination? I have it next."

"It was..." Harry trailed off, as if unable to find a way to describe the class, so he just continued on, "We had to read tea leaves. And Professor Trelawney saw the grim in my cup, but like Hermione said, Professor McGonagall said she does this every year..."

Harry trailed off, and Elizabeth figured he was thinking about that dog he saw before school started.

"I'm sure it is nothing, Harry," Elizabeth said, "If it cheers you up, I just had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin actually knows what he's doing. We learned around red caps today."

"We don't have a Defense Against Dark Arts class this week..." Ron said slowly, looking over his schedule, "Next week, though."

"He's a great teacher," Elizabeth said, "I might actually start getting better in it. What class do you have next?"

"Care of Magical Creatures," Ron said, "We're apparently Hagrid's first class."

"You'll have to let me know how it goes. I'm not taking Care of Magical Creatures."

"Elizabeth, come on!" Susan called nearby, "Divination is at the top of the north tower, it's going to take a while to get there."

"Coming!" Elizabeth called, grabbing a roll as she got up, "I'll see you two later."

Elizabeth hurried off to follow Susan and Hannah out of the Great Hall.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione had Divination this morning," Elizabeth said, "They warned me that Professor Trelawney likes to predict the death of students to greet the class, and not to worry about it."

"Oh, I'm glad you said that," Susan said, shaking her head, "Divination can be really useful, but I don't want to be worrying about death omens hanging over any of us...Especially after last year..."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, thinking of Justin. He had spent half of the last school year in the hospital wing, petrified after an attack by a basilisk. He was extremely lucky that he hadn't been killed. If Justin had been alone, rather than seeing the basilisk through one of the Hogwarts ghosts...Elizabeth really didn't like thinking about that.


	6. Chapter Six

_**Chapter Six:**_

It was a long climb up to the tower, in an area that Elizabeth had never been to. By the time the girls reached the top, where the rest of the Hufflepuffs already were, Elizabeth was out of breath. Once Elizabeth caught her breath, she noticed students were climbing up a rope ladder and she groaned. They made this long hike and now they had to climb? She was wearing a dress, for crying out loud. She was definitely going to go last.

And once she was in the room, Elizabeth didn't feel much better. The room felt cramped. There were tables with armchairs rather than desks, and the room was stifling warm, leaving the air stale. The windows were closed and the lights dimmed with cloths. It left everything feeling closed-in, especially with the fact that there was no visible door. It made Elizabeth antsy from the start and she immediately took one of the armchairs right next to the trap door. She already didn't like this classroom. She hoped the class itself would be better.

"Welcome," came a soft voice nearby, "How nice it is to see you in the physical world at last."

Elizabeth straightened a little as a tall woman came into view, oddly dressed in a simple dress and ugly shawl, and glasses that made her eyes seem too large. She also seemed to think she could wear her entire box of jewelry at once, and her hair was thick and standing out at angles from where she'd tried to pull it back.

"Welcome to Divination," the woman said, her voice still soft, "My name is Professor Trelawney. I rarely venture into the hustle of the school, as it clouds the Inner Eye, so I am not surprised none if you recognize me. I am glad to see such a lively bunch here to study the most difficult art of magic that is Divination. I just hope all of you fair better than my first class. I'm afraid that one student from Gryffindor will not live to see the end of the year..."

Several people fidgeted in their seats and Susan and Hanna glanced over at Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew about Harry and the grim, and what Professor McGonagall had said. It didn't mean she wasn't still a bit worried...

"It does not matter how talented a witch or wizard is in any art. If you do not have the Gift, you will do little to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future...You, miss."

Elizabeth jumped a bit, staring at the professor with wide eyes when she'd turned to her.

"Ma'am?" Elizabeth asked weakly.

"I would walk carefully," Professor Trelawney said softly, "I sense a nasty fall in your future."

Elizabeth fidgeted a little. That wasn't something she wanted to hear...

"This being your first year, we will focus on the basics," Professor Trelawney turned back to the rest of the class. "We will start with reading tea leaves, followed by palmistry in our second term. And if we get past fire omens, we will get to crystal balls. Unfortunately, I sense an outbreak of flu this winter, and I will be without my voice. By the way," she turned to Justin. "Be careful of a blond woman."

Justin frowned, glancing to Sally-Anne nearby, who was looking confused.

"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs," Professor Trelawney said once she'd gotten a large teapot set up, "Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, until only the dregs remain. Swill them around the cup three times in your left hand, then flip this cup upside down on your saucer. Make sure all tea has drained away first, and your tea leaves will be ready to read. Interpret the patterns left. You will find the answers on pages five and six of _Unfogging the Future_. While you work, I will be walking around the room to check on your progress."

Divination was definitely the most interesting class Elizabeth had ever been in. With the work they were doing, she was able to distract herself enough from the cramped room. She spent the class with Ernie, focusing on their tea leaves and struggling to predict each other's futures and see patterns in the mess of leaves. Elizabeth found herself thinking that she'd rather rely on her gut feelings than piles of old tea leaves, but she still found the process fascinating and made sure to jot down notes on what Ernie had predicted to happen in her future.

Once class was over and everyone made it down the ladder, Elizabeth was glad to be out of the stuffy room but found herself thinking over Divination more than she thought she would.

"Honestly, the class seemed like a lot of nonsense," Ernie said in a way that reminded Elizabeth of Hermione earlier, "Anyone could see anything in those cups."

"I think it's fascinating," Hannah said, "And wouldn't it be nice to know when something bad was going to happen, so you could prepare for it?"

Elizabeth instantly found herself thinking about her gut feelings. She really wished they were more detailed. If she was able to get an idea what was going to happen and be able to stop it...She could keep herself and her friends out of a lot of trouble.

"I don't think I'd want to know what's coming," Justin said, "I mean, then all you'd do is worry."

"I think I'm with Hannah," Elizabeth said, "I'd like to know what's coming."

"Elizabeth. It's Harry."

Elizabeth stopped at the voice and looked around with the others, then realized it was coming from her bag.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Elizabeth said, digging in her bag for the small mirror. Her friends nodded and headed on.

The little mirror that Elizabeth kept on her at all times was extremely old, old enough that the charm was starting to mess up. It was connected to an identical small mirror Harry had, but due to the age, the mirrors were stuck only giving the image of the other person's side, and they only had a range of about one mile.

"Harry, is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked as she held up her mirror, seeing Harry's face reflected back at her in the dingy glass.

"Meet us in the library," Harry said, "We need to tell you something."

That didn't really reassure Elizabeth, but she pocketed the mirror and headed for the library, where she found Harry, Ron, and Hermione near one of the windows.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked as she sat down, putting her bag down next to her.

"There was an accident during Hagrid's class," Hermione said, though Ron laughed.

"Accident? It was Malfoy's fault."

"What was?" Elizabeth asked, starting to get annoyed. She hated feeling left out. "Will someone tell me what happened?"

"We were Hagrid's first class for Care of Magical Creatures," Harry said, "And he was teaching us about hippogriffs."

"It was actually a very good lesson," Hermione said, "Until Malfoy went and taunted one of the hippogriffs, even though Hagrid warned us no to."

"Buckbeak—the hippogriff," Harry added when Elizabeth opened her mouth, "He just scratched Malfoy on the arm. Something Madam Pomfrey can fix in seconds. But you know how Malfoy is. He's going to make it into a big deal..."

"Hagrid's not in trouble, is he?" Elizabeth asked weakly.

"We hope not," Ron said, looking out the window towards Hagrid's hut, "This is all Malfoy's fault. He has to go mess up everything."

"Think we should go visit him?" Elizabeth asked, following Ron's gaze, "His light's on, he's down there..."

"If we hurried, we could go down and see him," Ron said, looking at his watch, "I mean, it's not even curfew yet..."

"I don't know..." Hermione said, glancing towards Harry.

"I'm allowed to walk across the _grounds_," Harry said, sounding irritated, "Sirius Black hasn't gotten past the dementors yet, has he?"

Elizabeth felt that the dementors around weren't exactly comforting in the first place. Not just because of what they were, but because of the fact that Sirius Black had already eluded them once when he escaped Azkaban in the first place. Elizabeth didn't say that, however, simply because she wanted to go see Hagrid. So she got up, following her friends out of the library.

They met no one on the way out of the castle, or as they made their way across the grounds that were starting to grow dark in the evening sun. And when they reached Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door, he called for them to come in within seconds.

It was instantly clear that Hagrid was not doing well. He was sitting at his table, a large mug in front of him and from the smell in the hut, Hagrid had been drinking.

"'Spect it's a record," Hagrid said slowly, "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before."

"You've been fired?" Elizabeth's voice squeaked as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Not yet," Hagrid muttered, "But 's only a matter o' time, i'n't, after Malfoy..."

"Harry told me about it," Elizabeth said, "They said Malfoy was barely scratched."

"If he's acting otherwise, he's faking," Harry said, "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."

"School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," Hagrid said weakly, "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left hippogriffs fer later...done flobberworms or summat...Jus' thought t'd make a good firs' lesson...'S all my fault..."

"They told me what happened, it was Malfoy's fault!" Elizabeth said, "They told me you warned them not to provoke a hippogriff and Malfoy did it anyway!"

"Exactly," Harry said, "We're witnesses. We'll tell Dumbledore what really happened."

"Yeah, don't worry, Hagrid," Ron said, patting the large man on the back, "We'll back you up."

In the next instant, Hagrid pulled Harry and Ron into a hug. Elizabeth, luckily, had stepped back just in time to avoid his large arms. Hermione insisted Hagrid should put away the drinking and led him out of the hut, where they heard a loud splash before Hermione came back in.

"What was that noise?" Elizabeth asked cautiously.

"Hagrid stuck his head in the water barrel," Hermione said as she went to clean up the table.

"That's one way to sober up," Elizabeth muttered, glancing towards the door as Hagrid came in, water dripping from him. He immediately shook his head and Elizabeth yelped, covering her face with her arm as she became drenched.

"Tha's better," Hagrid said, brushing wet hair from his face, "Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really—"

Hagrid cut himself off, staring at them, his eyes slowly widening. He slowly looked between the four of them, then focused right on Harry and Elizabeth knew their welcome was over.

"WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN', EH? YEH'RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN' AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY! AN' YOU THREE! LETTIN' HIM!"

Hagrid took Harry by the arm, starting for the door. Elizabeth, Hermione, and Ron had to practically run to keep up with Hagrid's long strides as he marched Harry up to the castle.

"Don' let me catch yeh walkin' down ter see me after dark again," Hagrid growled, "I'm not worth that!"

None of them dared say anything until they were safely in the school and Hagrid was starting back to his hut. Elizabeth slowly looked over at her friends, all of whom looked as surprised as she did.

"I wasn't expecting that..." Harry said slowly.

"It just proves my point earlier," Hermione said, "We shouldn't have gone down there...We should have waited until tomorrow—"

"Hermione, you saw the state he was in," Elizabeth cut in, "We couldn't have just let him sit down there like that all night."

Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"I know, I know," she said softly, "It's just...We really shouldn't risk anything like this again. Not with Black on the loose..." She looked over to Harry.

"Why does everyone act like I'll drop dead if I walk too far from the castle?" Harry grumbled.

"We're just worried," Elizabeth said softly, as a clock chimed in the distance, "You should get going. It's nearly curfew..."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed on up the stairs and Elizabeth turned, heading down to the Hufflepuff common room to get started on her homework. She had a lot of it already...


	7. Chapter Seven

_**Chapter Seven:**_

It wasn't long before Elizabeth fell into a familiar routine. Classes, homework with friends, free time whenever she could get it...Only this year, Tobias was thrown into the mix. Time that Elizabeth used to spend in the library doing homework with Harry, Ron, and Hermione was now split between them, and doing homework in a corner of the Hufflepuff common room with Tobias. And ignoring the glares from Lewis across the room.

Elizabeth learned a week into the term that the Gryffindors' Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been far more interesting than her own class on the first day.

"It was great," Ron was saying excitedly from the shade of their tree on the grounds during afternoon break, "We actually got to train against a real boggart. You should have seen me taking it on! It turned into this giant spider—everyone was screaming—and I just...I whipped out my wand and, _Ridikkulus_!" Ron waved his hand around as if brandishing a wand, "the spider's legs disappeared and it was just rolling around on the ground!"

"That's really impressive, Ron," Elizabeth said politely. She'd learned early on that Ron liked to be praised. He was the youngest of six brothers, and seldom got time in the spotlight. The times he got to show off, it was always best to humor him.

"Mine wasn't the best, though," Ron said, "Neville's was...Well, you really had to have been there, it was brilliant."

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, finding herself really curious.

"The boggart turned into Snape," Ron said with a grin, obviously eager to share the story, "And Neville, in his way to make it funny, forced the boggart-Snape into this really lacy green dress and the ugliest hat you've ever seen, there was this big vulture on top." Ron laughed as he sunk back against the tree. "It was _brilliant_."

Elizabeth laughed, unable to help herself at the mental image. She looked over at Harry who was grinning himself at the memory. Hermione, however, Elizabeth wasn't even sure was listening. Her face was hidden behind a text book, as usual. It was barely a week, and Elizabeth was already sure she was going to forget what Hermione's face looked like by the end of the year. She was always hiding behind a book.

"I would have loved to see it," Elizabeth said, then pausing, "I wonder when we'll get to face boggarts..."

"I'm sure Professor Lupin will get more, so the other third years can practice," Harry said.

"Hopefully he'll get some soon," Elizabeth said, grinning. Though the more she thought about it...Her biggest fear was being trapped. Closed in. How was she supposed to make something like that funny?

Elizabeth found out she was going to have to try and come up with an answer when her next Defense Against the Dark Arts class came. As she and her fellow Hufflepuffs came into the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom Monday morning, they noticed all the desks and chairs had been pushed to the walls, and on Professor Lupin's desk at the front of the room was a large trunk.

"Welcome, students," Professor Lupin said with a grin, "I'm sure you've heard by now what to expect in this class, and what is in this trunk?"

"It's a boggart," Ernie said to Elizabeth's right.

"That it is, Ernie," Professor Lupin said with a grin, "And who would be kind enough to tell me what a boggart is?"

A few hands went up, though many students—Elizabeth included—were eyeing the shut trunk.

"How about you, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth flushed a little as she turned to Professor Lupin. She had been barely aware she even raised her hand in the first place.

"Boggarts are creatures that hide in dark places," she said, "And when someone comes close, or finds their hiding spot, they chase the person off by becoming the person's worse fear."

"Rightly said," Professor Lupin said, "Before we get into the lesson, I think we should all practice the pronunciation of the spell, to make sure we get it right...Repeat after me. _Ridikkulus_."

"_Ridikkulus_," the class chorused.

"Very good," Professor Lupin said with a nod, "Now...We already have an advantage over this boggart already. Does anyone know what it is?"

"Because we can confuse it," Megan said, raising her hand, "It won't know what form to take first."

"Exactly. That is why it's always best to approach a boggart in groups. I once witnessed a boggart get confused between turning into a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug, and turned itself into half a slug. Not quite as intimidating after that. Now."

Professor Lupin patted the trunk on his desk, looking over the students.

"Who wants to go first?"

There were murmurs around Elizabeth as everyone shifted and glanced at each other, no one wanting to be the first to face a boggart. Elizabeth took a deep breath and raised her hand.

"I-I'll go," she said, her voice squeaking slightly.

"Very good, step forward, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth nodded, moving forward, gripping her wand.

"Now, what is it you fear most?" Professor Lupin asked.

"I...I don't like closed in places," Elizabeth muttered, "Being trapped..."

"Claustrophobic. That's a tough one..." Professor Lupin said, "It's more a feeling than a physical manifestation, but the boggart will still try. It will most likely try to create walls around you. Can you think of a way to make that less frightening?"

"Make a door?" Elizabeth asked, feeling unsure.

"That's not all that strong," Lupin said, "What about food? Can you picture walls of some sort of food? Or something easily breakable?"

"Glass walls, I can do that," Elizabeth replied, reading herself.

"Good, then let's get started."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, steading herself and raising her wand. She was focusing as hard as she could, on the idea of glass walls that fell apart at a touch...

Professor Lupin opened the trunk and almost immediately, Elizabeth was surrounded by tall, stone walls, each barely a foot away. She felt like she was closed into a closet. Her heart started pounding and her hand was shaking...

"_Ridikkulus_!" Elizabeth squeaked, jerking her wand up. With a loud crack, the walls faded and crumbled, falling around her.

"Well done!" Professor Lupin said, "Step back, and who next? Ah, what about you, Hannah?"

Elizabeth stepped back as Hannah moved forward to take on the boggart. With a crack, the crumbling walls were replaced by a giant wasp. Hannah hesitated, but quickly turned the wasp to a stuffed bear.

"Justin!"

The boggart became a large snake, and Justin went pale. Though with a wave of his wand and a shout of "_Riddikulus_!", the snake quickly became a flat tire of a bicycle. The class soon turned into a routine. Fears cycling up from one student to another—A horse that's hide became a rainbow of colors. A troll who was soon wearing a giant diaper and baby bonnet. Some sort of metal person whose limbs and head fell off...

"It's just about finished off!" Professor Lupin said, "Come on, Rodger, finish it off!"

Rodger hurried forward, eager to face the boggart himself. With a loud crack, the boggart became vampire, and Rodger gave a quick "_Riddikulus_!" Instantly, the vampire lost his teeth and with a loud laugh from Rodger, it disappeared completely.

"Well done, students!" Professor Lupin said, "Five points for everyone who took on the boggart, and another five to Elizabeth and Megan for answering my questions...As for homework, summarize the chapter on boggarts. Good day, students."

"I can see why the Gryffindors enjoyed the class so much," Sally-Anne said as they made their way to lunch, "That was a lot of fun."

"I wonder if we'll have any more practical lessons after this?" Ernie asked.

The talk of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and theorizing on future classes lasted all the way to lunch. Elizabeth probably would have joined in on the continued conversation at the table, but Tobias had waved her over. She grinned, heading over to sit next to her boyfriend.

"We just had Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said, "We fought a boggart."

"You're lucky," Tobias sighed, "All we had my third year was lengthy readings of Gilderoy Lockhart's books."

"But now you have a better teacher," Elizabeth pointed out.

"True. Professor Lockhart is amazing. He really knows what he's talking about. He reminds me of Professor Hilbire."

"Who?"

"She was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor my first year," Tobias said, "She was really good. She taught in a way that really got you interested, and answered any questions with a smile, no matter how obviously stupid the question was. She didn't chastise students for not catching on as quickly as others, and would stop to help those falling behind."

"How come she didn't stay?" Elizabeth asked, "A teacher like that sounds great. I bet students loved her."

"We all did," Tobias said, "But she came down with dragon pox towards the end of the school year, and had to leave for St. Mungo's. I guess she didn't survive it. She never came back and my second year, Professor Quirrell took over."

"So there's been four teachers in four years?" Elizabeth asked.

"More. Apparently Hogwarts has always had a problem keeping teachers in that position."

"I wonder why..." Elizabeth said softly, moving around her food with her fork, "I mean, it's a really useful subject. I'm not too good at it, but it's something everyone needs to know. You think it would be easy getting people to teach."

"I think people are getting scared of the job," Tobias said, "No one's ever lasted a year, and people are starting to think they shouldn't even try. My father was even approached for the job a few years ago, before I even started Hogwarts, but he turned it down."

"Well, I'm sure he was just wanting to make sure he could stay with you all year," Elizabeth said, grinning a bit. She couldn't blame a parent for not wanting to be away from their child.

"We lived in Hogsmeade at the time," Tobias said with a shrug, "Mum grew up there and she had a job at Dervish and Banges at the time."

"You lived in Hogsmeade?" Elizabeth asked excitedly, sitting up a bit more, "You have to know a lot about it, then."

"Yeah. Hogsmeade is really nice. I'll have to give you a grand tour whenever the first weekend is."

"What's Hogsmeade like?"

Elizabeth spent the rest of dinner listening to Tobias talk about Hogsmeade. He apparently didn't remember that much about the town before visiting on Hogsmeade trips, as he'd been seven when his family moved from there. But when he first visited last year, it helped jog his memory of places. Tobias told Elizabeth everything he knew of the town. About the shops, the people, and, of course, Three Broomsticks.

"There's always the most fascinating people there," Tobias said, grinning over a forkful of food, "I remember the last night we were in Hogsmeade, having a 'farewell dinner' at the inn. A couple of vampires were passing through. We actually got to sit and talk with them. I remember they had some interesting stories, but I can't remember what the stories were."

"Not many people can say they chatted over dinner with vampires," Elizabeth said, giggling lightly at the thought.

"I wish I could remember the stories they told. I could talk with Professor Lupin about it, see what he knows..."

As dinner ended, Tobias and Elizabeth were still deep in conversation. They finally moved to the common room to continue, sitting in a corner by themselves until late into the evening and the common room was mostly empty. Elizabeth was growing tired, and knew she had classes in the morning, but didn't want to break off her talking with Tobias. It was always nice to be around him.

"You should head on to bed," Tobias said, "Your brother has been glaring at me for the past hour."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, though she got to her feet.

"He just seems to have something against me dating for some reason," she said, "But I am tired. Good night, Tobias."

Tobias grinned and got up himself, leaning closer and kissing Elizabeth lightly before heading towards the boys' dormitories. Elizabeth stood there, feeling her face burning as she ducked her head, trying to avoid the stares of those around her as she hurried to her own dormitory.


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Chapter Eight:**_

October came, bringing a welcome distraction for Lewis: Quidditch practice. With him off several days a week at the Quidditch field, it meant he couldn't be practically stalking Elizabeth when she was with Tobias. Or with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. At least, when Harry wasn't at Quidditch practice. The Gryffindors were practicing even more than the Hufflepuffs were. Of course, the Gryffindors were playing in the first match of the season while Hufflepuffs weren't, so Elizabeth had to admit they had a bit of a reason for an extra kick to their practices.

Though in early October, Elizabeth had something a bit more to worry about. As she went into Defense Against the Dark Arts with her fellow Hufflepuffs, it wasn't Professor Lupin at the desk.

It was Professor Snape. Elizabeth didn't like this. Professor Snape, tall with greasy black hair and a hook nose, was Elizabeth's least favorite teacher. Of course, aside from Slytherins, Snape was usually everyone's favorite teacher. And he'd always been after the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. Elizabeth knew there had to be some reason that Dumbledore didn't want this man teaching this particular class, and it had her dreading what the next hour was going to bring.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Susan asked.

"He is feeling ill," Professor Snape said, "Now, sit down everyone."

There was murmuring among the students as everyone took their seats, Elizabeth sitting between Susan and Hannah.

"Professor Lupin seems very disorganized with his lessons," Professor Snape said as he looked over Lupin's desk, "There's no record of what you've covered."

Ernie's hand went up in the air, but Professor Snape ignored him.

"Sir, we've covered red caps and—"

"I did not ask you to speak, Mr. Macmillan," Professor Snape said, "Any first year should be able to handle red caps. Third years should know how to protect yourselves against much more."

Professor Snape started flipping through the textbook until he reached a chapter towards the back. Something Elizabeth felt wouldn't actually be covered until at least the fifth or sixth year.

"Students, turn to page 394," Professor Snape said, "Today we will be studying werewolves."

"Werewolves?" Rodger asked, "Sir, we—"

"Silence," Professor Snape snapped, "Turn to page 394 and we will begin."

Elizabeth glanced at the others, but they did as they were told. They all knew better than to disobey an order from this particular teacher.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was much different than the past several classes. Gone was the cheerful, bright debates and hands-on teaching that was beginning to turn Elizabeth around in her grades. Instead, it was quiet reading about werewolves and listening to Professor Snape criticize the way Professor Lupin was teaching them. What was worse, he even assigned them an essay on werewolves.

"He was just filling in," Sally-Anne complained as they made their way to lunch, "He shouldn't be able to give us homework!"

"It's like he expects to keep the job," Justin added, "You don't think he has anything to do with Professor Lupin being sick, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Elizabeth said, "He's been after that job for years, hasn't he? He wasn't happy at all he missed on it again."

They reached the Great Hall and Elizabeth told her friends she'd see them after lunch. Instead of the Hufflepuff table today, she made her way to the Gryffindor one right next to it and sat down next to Hermione, whose face was—as usual—hidden behind a book. Elizabeth paid it no mind as she looked to the staff table. Sure enough, Professor Lupin wasn't there.

"Snape was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts today," Elizabeth said, turning to Harry and Ron across from her, "Apparently Professor Lupin is ill."

"So they had _Snape_ teaching?" Ron asked, "Whose idea was that?"

"He must know what he's doing," Hermione said, putting down her book, "They wouldn't ask him to fill in otherwise."

"Hermione, he's been turned down for that job for years," Harry countered, "There has to be a reason."

"That was exactly my thought!" Elizabeth said, "It has to be because he expects too much. Do you know what he had us studying today? Werewolves!"

"Werewolves?" Hermione asked in disbelief, "That's far above what third years should be learning."

"Not only that, but he assigned us a two-roll essay on them," Elizabeth said, "I hope Professor Lupin will be back soon."

"Yeah, the last thing I want is to sit through Defense Against the Dark Arts with him as a teacher," Ron groaned.

Luckily, it turned out the Gryffindors didn't have to. Elizabeth learned that Professor Lupin was back to teaching by the time her friends had Defense Against the Dark Arts again. Plus, the following week when the Hufflepuffs returned to the class, Professor Lupin dismissed the homework that Snape had given them.

Elizabeth was really glad for that. Especially as mid-October came and something she'd been waiting for since the start of the year was announced: The first Hogsmeade visit.

"It's on Halloween," Tobias said with a grin as he sat next to Elizabeth in the Hufflepuff common room, "I can't wait to show you around Hogsmeade."

"I can't wait for it either," Elizabeth returned Tobias's grin. She'd been getting to spend a lot more time with him lately, really getting to know him and learning how sweet he was.

Elizabeth already couldn't wait for Halloween. The Hogwarts feast would be great enough, but being able to spend the whole day with Tobias...She was looking forward to it.

At least, she was until the next day when she walked into Herbology. It wasn't until she saw Harry as they has at their usual tray that she remembered Harry couldn't go to Hogsmeade. He was going to have to stay behind in the castle while other third years left. That was going to put a dark cloud over Elizabeth's date.

Though Elizabeth had something else to distract her from that. She couldn't help but notice that Ron seemed to be avoiding Hermione, specifically making sure to sit as far from her as possible during class.

"Did I miss something?" Elizabeth asked.

"That monster of hers attacked Scabbers last night," Ron said irritably.

"Crookshanks is a cat, not a _monster_—"

"Is Scabbers okay?" Elizabeth cut Hermione off, looking to Ron, who'd just thrown a handful of the beans they were collecting into the nearby bucket, half of which splattering to the floor instead and bursting into flowers.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," Ron answered, "He's terrified Crookshanks is going to go after him again."

"I'm sure Scabbers will be okay," Elizabeth said kindly, "He just needs a nice, long day of rest."

"Which is exactly what he'll get," Ron said, "I made sure the door was shut securely. Crookshanks won't be able to get in our room."

Hermione made a face and looked like she was about to say something, but luckily held herself back. Elizabeth looked over to Harry, who returned her look with one of his own. It was clear they were both thinking the same thing. Something was going to have to be done or else a cat and a rat were going to ruin Hermione and Ron's friendship.

**xxxxx**

The upcoming Hogsmeade visit seemed to smooth things over with Ron and Hermione. It seemed everyone could talk of nothing else. The only third year who didn't seem to be looking forward to Halloween was Harry. Elizabeth couldn't help but always feel guilty about getting to go to Hogsmeade while Harry couldn't.

Several times, Elizabeth thought about skipping the Hogsmeade visit. She knew Harry would argue if she told him she'd stay with him, especially knowing she had a date. But Elizabeth knew she wasn't going to enjoy the date, knowing Harry was left behind.

So just a few days before Halloween, Elizabeth made up her mind. She knew she was going to have to make it up to Tobias later. Maybe it'd be easier if he just thought she was sick and couldn't make it, rather than she was purposely skipping to be with a friend...She did feel guilty about bailing on her boyfriend, but she just kept telling herself that there would be more Hogsmeade trips. She just wanted to make this first one easier on Harry when everyone left and he couldn't.

Besides, she told herself, they had to catch Sirius Black soon. Harry most likely would be able to go to the next Hogsmeade trip.

Halloween morning came, and Elizabeth woke up around the same time as the others, but she didn't get up. Her heart was pounding with anticipation of what she was trying to pull off.

"Elizabeth?" Sally-Anne drew back some of the curtains on Elizabeth's bed, "You okay? You're usually the first up."

Elizabeth faked a groan, pulling her pillow over her head.

"Oh no, you're not sick, are you?" Megan asked, "It's Hogsmeade trip! You have to come!"

"Don't feel like it," Elizabeth said through the pillow, "You go on. I think I'll just sleep all day."

"What about Tobias?" Hannah asked, "Didn't you have that date?"

Elizabeth just groaned again. She didn't need a guilt trip. She just needed to remember she was doing this for her best friend. Apparently, the groan was convincing because she felt one of the girls pulling the blankets up around her more.

"Get some rest," Hannah said, "We'll let Tobias know you're sick. Hopefully you'll be better in time for the feast."

Elizabeth stayed still, listening to her roommates leaving and heard the door softly close behind her. She continued to lay in her bed for a few more minutes, wanting to be sure none of them were going to come back in case they forgot something. The wait was agonizing, especially with how quiet the room was.

Finally, Elizabeth glanced at her watch on the nightstand. It'd been ten minutes. They had to be well into breakfast by now. So she sat up, pushing on her glasses and going to get dressed, though she went back to sit on her bed, pulling the curtains closed around her just in case. She had to wait at least another half hour...Long enough that everyone would be gone...

Elizabeth tried to read during that time, but she found herself constantly looking at her watch. Counting the seconds until she was sure classmates would be gone down to Hogwarts, off to enjoy themselves...Finally, she felt enough time had passed. Elizabeth got up, putting away her book and left the dormitory.

The common room was mostly empty, save for a few first and second years. Much to Elizabeth's annoyance, Zacharias was one of them. And he was coming over to her.

"Why didn't you go to Hogsmeade?" he asked, following Elizabeth towards the common room entrance, "Aren't you a third year?"

"I'm not feeling well, Zacharias," Elizabeth said, "I'm going to the hospital wing."

Elizabeth slipped on out of the common room and headed up the stairs. Though as she started on up from the entrance hall, she suddenly stopped. Where was she even going to begin to look for Harry? She frowned, figuring she was going to have to start somewhere. So she made her way on up the stairs, checking the library first, but he wasn't there. She checked their usual hangout spots—inside, anyway. Outside it was quite windy, so she didn't think he'd be there—but no sign of him. Elizabeth stopped along one corridor, frowning, starting to wonder if she had made a mistake. Maybe Harry was up in the Gryffindor common room...

Then she suddenly saw him come out of a room up ahead and she grinned, hurrying over.

"Harry, hi!" she said, then stumbled to a stop as Professor Lupin appeared at the door behind Harry.

"It looks like you have a friend staying behind," Professor Lupin said, "I'll see you later."

Professor Lupin headed back into his office, and Harry stared at Elizabeth.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Elizabeth felt her face flush a little and she tried to hide it by starting to walk on down the hall.

"I was feeling sick this morning," she said, "I didn't want to risk going to Hogsmeade and it getting worse. But I'm better now."

She could see Harry watching her from the corner of her eye. She tried not to squirm.

"By feeling sick, you don't mean..." Harry said slowly, then Elizabeth suddenly realized a big flaw in her plan.

"Oh, no, no," Elizabeth assured Harry quickly, "Nothing like that. It wasn't that feeling of dread sick." Wanting a change of subject, Elizabeth looked to Harry, "So, what were you doing in Professor Lupin's office?"

"He invited me for tea," Harry said, "We talked for a bit, but Snape came in, bringing Professor Lupin this goblet of something...Said it was some potion to help because he was feeling under the weather. But Lupin still drank it."

"He..._what_?" Elizabeth stumbled to a stop, staring at Harry with wide eyes, "What...Does he _know_ Snape's after his job?"

"I told him," Harry said, "He didn't seem to mind, though...Snape hates him, but for some reason, Lupin trusts him to make some potion."

"I wonder if Snape is doing this to him..." Elizabeth looked out the window next to them, "I mean, Lupin was sick enough that he couldn't teach just last month. Maybe Snape's the reason he's getting sick? Or maybe he came here sick? I mean, he didn't look too well when we first met him on the train..."

"I don't know," Harry said, "We can't really do anything, though, can we? As long as Professor Lupin keeps walking in that door to teach..."

"Yeah, I don't think we can really do anything," Elizabeth said, "Maybe Snape really is trying to help Lupin?"

Harry gave a snort that showed he didn't believe that was possible. And honestly, Elizabeth agreed. Snape never wanted to help anyone. Except himself.

"How's Quidditch training going?" Elizabeth asked, "The match with Slytherin is in a week."

"It's great," Harry replied, "We're playing better than ever. Oliver is obsessing on that Quidditch Cup, more than any of us, but it is his final year."

"You'll have to beat the Hufflepuffs first," Elizabeth said, smirking, "My brother's on the team, and he's really good. Plus, we have Cedric."

The two talked of Quidditch for the rest of the afternoon, playfully arguing about whether the Hufflepuffs or Gryffindors were better. Seeing Harry happy and enjoying himself made pretending sick worth it for Elizabeth. She wouldn't be able to enjoy Hogsmeade knowing Harry was here on his own.

Elizabeth paused at a window late in the afternoon, looking out over the grounds. It was still light out, and most students were still at Hogsmeade. She could see dementors gliding along near the school gates. All at once, she suddenly remembered why Harry hadn't been allowed to go to Hogsmeade, but she knew better than to talk about it. There always had to be a right time to talk to Harry about certain things. And when he was actually happy and enjoying himself was not the time to remind him about Sirius Black.

"I should get back to the Hufflepuff common room..." Elizabeth said instead, "I don't know when everyone is going to start returning, but I want to meet my friends."

"Yeah, Ron and Hermione will probably be back soon, too," Harry said, looking to Elizabeth, "Thanks."

Elizabeth grinned back at Harry. She had a feeling he suspected she'd never been sick that morning, but he wasn't going to question it.

"Don't mention it," she said, "See you in the morning."

Elizabeth turned, heading on back towards the Hufflepuff common room, humming a little to herself. She might have missed out on a date with Tobias, but today was a good day.


	9. Chapter Nine

_**Chapter Nine:**_

When Elizabeth got back to the common room, she was immediately greeted by Tobias, coming up to her with a grin.

"Sally-Anne told me you were feeling sick this morning, are you okay now?" he asked, reaching out and taking her hand.

"Yeah, I'm much better now," Elizabeth said with a grin, a small jab of guilt worming into her stomach. Lying to Tobias didn't feel great at all...

"That's good," Tobias said, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of chocolate frogs—Elizabeth's favorite sweet, and she was an avid collector of the cards, "I figured you could use a get well present."

Elizabeth grinned softly, taking the chocolate frogs. How did she manage to get such a sweet boyfriend? Maybe she should just tell him she skipped to help out a friend...

"Come on, the feast should be starting," Tobias said, jerking Elizabeth from her thoughts.

Elizabeth went to put the chocolate frogs on her nightstand in her dormitory before meeting back up with Tobias, heading upstairs for dinner. She kept struggling with whether she should tell Tobias the truth all the way to the Great Hall, and as they sat down along the Hufflepuff table.

"Are you okay, Elizabeth?" Tobias asked, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Elizabeth sighed. Tobias really made this difficult, didn't he?

"I wasn't feeling sick today," she admitted, staring down at her plate of food, stabbing at her steak-and-kidney pie with a fork.

"What?"

"I..." Elizabeth sighed, unable to look at her boyfriend, "I have a friend who can't go to Hogsmeade, doesn't have permission. I didn't think I'd be able to enjoy myself knowing he was left behind. He's been really upset about not being able to go..."

"So...So you stood me up to hang out with your friend?"

Elizabeth flinched a little. The way Tobias asked that...

"I know it was a stupid thing," Elizabeth said, "I...I should have told you."

"Yeah, you should have," Tobias said simply. Elizabeth glanced at him, but immediately wished she hadn't considering the hurt look on his face.

"Tobias, I'm sorry," Elizabeth said softly, "I really am...I should have told you. I'll make this up to you, I promise."

Tobias only gave a nod and Elizabeth frowned, turning back to her food, though she'd suddenly lost her appetite. Where before she'd been looking to the Halloween Feast and spending time with Tobias, it was now a quiet, awkward experience. Well, as quiet as it could be with everyone talking excitedly around them, most of whom were sharing stories with others about Hogsmeade.

Elizabeth stayed quiet herself, unsure what to say to make things right. She couldn't blame Tobias for being upset with her. After all, she had pretty much stood him up to be with a friend. Maybe the whole thing had been one big mistake...Maybe she should have just gone to Hogsmeade instead...

It was too late to change it now. She'd made her decision, now she had to deal with the consequences. She should have known she couldn't skip a date with her boyfriend and get away without anything happening...All she could do was hope that Tobias would forgive her.

Elizabeth found herself glad when the feast was over. She told Tobias goodnight before heading on towards the girl's dormitory, her roommates chatting happily around her about Hogsmeade. Elizabeth had just pulled out her pajamas, about to change, when there was a knock on the door and one of their female prefects leaned in.

"Everyone put your things down," she said, "Professor Sprout wants everyone in the common room."

"What's going on?" Susan asked, dropping the nightgown she'd just pulled up.

"I don't know, we were just told to get everyone to the common room," the prefect said before leaving.

Elizabeth had no idea what was going on. It couldn't be anything serious, could it? After all, she had been telling Harry the truth earlier when she said she hadn't been having feelings of dread that day. Sure, she didn't always have them every time something bad would happen, but usually if it was something huge.

Elizabeth followed everyone into the common room, where students were gathered, all looking confused. Lewis was nearby, and immediately made his way over to Elizabeth.

"Cedric doesn't know what's happening," he said, "Just that something bad as happened. He said Professor Sprout will let us know once everyone's here."

The common room was full of the buzz of confused Hufflepuffs, and the second Professor Sprout entered the common room, there was a rush of students hurrying forward to ask what was going on.

"Settle down, everyone, settle down," Professor Sprout called, barely visible among the students since she wasn't much taller than Elizabeth, "There's been an incident, and for the safety of everyone, we're all returning to the Great Hall for the night."

"What happened?" Wayne called nearby.

"There was a break-in," Professor Sprout said, "Sirius Black has managed to get into the castle."

Elizabeth's hands flew over her mouth, her heart beginning to race as there was confused and frightened murmuring around the room. Sirius Black had gotten into the castle? How long had he been there? Was Harry okay? Harry was supposed to be safe here, but the fact Black had gotten in...

Elizabeth headed on with the rest of the Hufflepuffs back to the Great Hall, where the Gryffindors already were. Elizabeth immediately hurried over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione off to the side of the group.

"What's going on? What happened?" she asked, "Professor Sprout said Black was spotted in the castle."

"He tried to get into the common room," Hermione said weakly, her face pale, "He attacked the Fat Lady, the portrait outside our common room, because she wouldn't let him in without the password."

Elizabeth felt sick, staring at her friends in shock. Sirius Black not only got into the castle, but all the way up to the Gryffindor tower? How had she not sensed something was coming? Sure, Elizabeth didn't get her gut feelings on everything, but she usually did when something hugely dangerous, like this attack, was coming.

"Are you sure this wasn't why you felt sick this morning?" Harry asked, apparently thinking along the same lines as Elizabeth.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, looking between them. Elizabeth flushed.

"I get...gut feelings sometimes," she said, "Usually when something bad is about to happen. I was sick this morning, didn't go to Hogsmeade. But it had nothing to do with this."

"Of course it didn't," Hermione snorted, rolling her eyes, "That sounds like that Divination nonsense—"

"Divination isn't nonsense," Elizabeth said hotly.

The Great Hall doors opened and Elizabeth looked over to see the Ravenclaws had joined the crowds now. At some point, the Slytherins had come in while Elizabeth wasn't paying attention.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore called across the hall, waving for silence, "I am afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately." Dumbledore looked over to where Ron's older brother, Percy, was standing with a tall girl with blond hair, "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Elizabeth glanced over to where Cedric was standing with the other Hufflepuff prefects. He was talking with Lewis, both looking worried. Elizabeth noticed Tobias nearby and she gave him a weak grin. He held her gaze for a moment before looking away and Elizabeth felt her chest tighten. She really had screwed up. She just hoped she'd get a chance to make it up to him.

"Oh yes," Professor Dumbledore went on, "You'll be needing this."

Dumbledore gave his wand a wave, causing the tables to fly to the walls and in their place, hundreds of plush sleeping bags appeared along the floor.

Elizabeth grabbed a sleeping bag and followed her friends to a corner of the room, where Lewis was nearby.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione asked softly, keeping her voice low since Percy was walking around, threatening to take points from anyone he caught talking.

"I don't think we'd be here, and the teachers searching, otherwise," Elizabeth whispered, climbing into her sleeping bag and pulling off her glasses, slipping them into a pouch on the side to protect them from being stepped on.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," Hermione whispered, "The one night we weren't in the tower..."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," Ron said, "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Elizabeth flinched a little at that thought. To think just barely half an hour ago, she'd been sitting in this room in an awkward dinner with her boyfriend, and Black could have come walking through the doors...

Percy called for lights out a few minutes later, and the candles overhead went dim. Stars reflecting the night sky overhead twinkled on the enchanted ceiling, but it was little more than a blur of pale lights to Elizabeth without her glasses. She laid on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Why hadn't she sensed it? She thought Divination was supposed to be helping her. She did really enjoy the class...But somehow, she hadn't gotten that usual feeling of dread...Was she actually not open to the Sight like she thought she was? Maybe everything in the past was just a bunch of wild coincidences...

And was Black still wandering the halls? What would happen if one of the teachers came across him? Or if he came to the Great Hall? The only thing guarding the sleeping students was a group of fifth-to-seventh-year prefects. Mostly underage witches and wizards. Against a madman who'd killed dozens in one curse and not caring...

Those thoughts swam through Elizabeth's mind well into her dreams and she had a restless night sleep. And as the next morning came, she felt as if she hadn't slept at all.

"You slept through it," Harry whispered as Elizabeth sat up, pushing her glasses on, "Professor Dumbledore and Snape were talking last night...Apparently Snape thinks someone in the castle helped Black get in..."

"Why would someone do that?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief, "Who...Who would be daft enough to help a madman?"

"Maybe it's Snape who's helping him," Ron whispered, "Everyone knows he hates Harry. Maybe he helped, hoping Black would off Harry and he wouldn't have to deal with him."

"But Snape was warning Dumbledore!" Hermione said, then lowered her voice as students around turned towards them, "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he was covering his tracks," Ron shrugged, "Trying not to look guilty."

"We thought Snape was trying to kill Harry before," Elizabeth reminded them, "Remember how that turned out?"

"Gryffindors, Gryffindors over here!" Percy called loudly from one end of the hall, "Time to return to the common rooms! I'm sure you all want a fresh change of clothes!"

"We'd better go," Harry said, heading off with Hermione and Ron.

Elizabeth sighed, heading off with the Hufflepuffs, where Cedric was rounding everyone up with the other prefects. Elizabeth noticed Tobias, but he didn't seem to see her. Elizabeth frowned, trying to ignore it. She would just have to get a chance to talk to him, really explain what she was doing yesterday. Maybe he'd forgive her, give her a chance to make it up to him...

Unfortunately, Elizabeth didn't get a chance over the next week. Tobias seemed to never be around, no matter what Elizabeth did to try and catch his attention. At the same time, the weather was turning more and more foul. It was as if the weather was mocking Elizabeth's mood. And the fact that the first Quidditch match of the season was approaching that weekend. It seemed the first match was going to be a miserable one.

And the Thursday before the match, Lewis and Cedric came into the common room with news that made the first match seem even worse.

"Slytherin's not playing against Gryffindor," Cedric said, "We are."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, sitting up straighter in her chair, "But you haven't been training for a match coming up that soon!"

"We'll be ready," Cedric said confidently, "Not looking forward to playing in this storm, though."

"I bet that's the real reason Slytherin backed out," Lewis said sourly, "They claim it's because Malfoy's still healing."

"There's nothing wrong with that git's arm," Elizabeth hissed, "Harry told me that the hippogriff barely scratched him."

There was nothing that could be done, however. The Slytherins had backed out of the match, so the Hufflepuffs were going to have to play.

Elizabeth planned to talk to Harry about this the following day, but she didn't get to talk with him, Hermione, or Ron until after dinner. Well, she saw Harry and Hermione in the library. Ron was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Ron?" Elizabeth asked as she sat down, putting her bag down next to her.

"Detention," Harry said, "Snape was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts today, apparently Professor Lupin was ill—"

"Again?" Elizabeth asked, "He was ill last month, too."

"I know, I hope nothing is wrong with him," Hermione said worriedly.

"Do you think it's something to do with that potion Snape gave him last weekend?" Harry asked, "Maybe he's done something."

"Honestly, we talked about this already," Hermione said, "I don't think Snape would poison Professor Lupin right in front of you, Harry."

"What if he did, though?" Elizabeth asked, "I mean, we've been wrong about Snape before, but we all know he's always been after the Defense Against the Dark Arts job..."

"Yes, but purposely attacking another teacher?" Hermione asked.

"Look at it this way," Elizabeth said, "Snape gives Professor Lupin some potion, and suddenly he's too sick to teach? Something doesn't add up. Maybe he was behind why Professor Lupin couldn't teach last month, too."

A streak of lightning flashed outside the window near them, and Hermione was staring out the window with that loon on her face that meant she was thinking something over.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said, "We should get going. Curfew is going to be soon."

Elizabeth nodded and got to her feet. She bade her friends goodnight, then headed off from the library, hoping the weather would clear up for the match the next day.


	10. Chapter Ten

_**Chapter Ten:**_

Elizabeth paced nervously by the window in the Hospital Wing, her eyes stinging with tears, constantly glancing over to where Harry lay unconscious on one of the beds. Elizabeth wasn't the only one there. The entire Gryffindor Quidditch team—minus their captain, Oliver Wood—were around Harry's bed, and Hermione and Ron were there as well. All of them as soaked through as Elizabeth was.

Why had dementors decided to show up in the middle of the first match of the season? It had been going well. Hufflepuff had been in the lead. They were on their way to winning the opening match...Then dementors came to the field, and Harry fell from his broom...

"Lucky the ground was so soft," Fred said nearby, and Elizabeth turned back to them.

"I thought he was dead for sure," said one of the Chasers. Elizabeth wasn't sure what her name was.

"But he didn't even break his glasses," Ron said in relief as Elizabeth came back over.

"I've never been so terrified..." she said softly.

In the next moment, Harry's eyes opened and Elizabeth gave a huge sigh of relief. He was awake...

"What happened?" Harry asked as he sat up quickly. Elizabeth resisted the urge to move forward and get him to lay back down.

"You fell off," Fred said, "Must've been—what—fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," said another of the Chasers. Elizabeth flinched a little at the idea.

"But the match," Harry said, "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

Everyone glanced around at each other, and Elizabeth squirmed a little where she was standing.

"Cedric caught the Snitch," Elizabeth finally said, "Maybe a few seconds after you fell...He wanted to call off the match and redo it, say it wasn't a fair win. But your captain disagreed."

"Where is Wood?" Harry asked, looking around.

"Still in the showers," Fred answered, "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Harry groaned and hid his face against his knees. Elizabeth couldn't help but move forward this time, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, Harry," Fred said, taking Harry's other shoulder, "You've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," George added.

"It's not over yet. We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw, and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"I'm right here," Elizabeth said, "Hufflepuff, remember?"

"That's right, we don't want you telling our secrets to the Hufflepuff team," George said with a smirk. Elizabeth rolled her eyes, though she had to admit, humor was nice.

Madam Pomfrey came over, telling the Quidditch team to let Harry rest, though she let Hermione, Ron and Elizabeth stay. The three of them took chairs around the bed as Harry finally looked up.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione whispered, "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away...He was furious they'd come on the grounds. We heard him—"

"It was terrifying," Elizabeth whispered, "Not just Dumbledore, but...When you fell, we all thought you'd..."

She trailed off, looking to Ron and Hermione before turning back to Harry. He looked distracted, a frown on his face. Ron and Hermione both looked nervous, though Elizabeth reached out and put a hand on Harry's arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" Harry asked instead.

Elizabeth shifted a little in her seat.

"Harry...Your broom hit the Whomping Willow," she said softly, figuring it would be better to get it over with, "Professor Flitwick brought what he could salvage, but..."

Elizabeth sighed, motioning to a bag of broken broom pieces on the nightstand.

"There's no way to repair it," she said, feeling her chest tighten at the horrified look on Harry's face as he took the shattered remains of his broom.

**xxxxx**

Elizabeth didn't return to the Hufflepuff common room until after dinner that night, despite being soaked through in her clothes. The clothes had dried by the time she'd returned to the common room, but they felt odd and stiff on her. She was eager to get into some warm pajamas and get some sleep.

However, as soon as Elizabeth came into the common room, Tobias came up to her. Elizabeth froze, just staring. She hadn't really gotten to talk to Tobias since Halloween...She'd been dreading the idea that he'd just walk up and break up with her over what happened...

"Can I talk with you a moment?" Tobias asked, and Elizabeth felt her heart racing.

"Uh, sure," she squeaked, following Tobias over to a corner of the common room, where they stood in awkward silence for a few minutes. Elizabeth kept glancing up at him, to see him staring at her, as if trying to find what to say. Elizabeth cleared her throat, finally deciding someone needed to speak.

"Listen, Tobias, I'm really sorry," Elizabeth said weakly, "I...I was really stupid on Halloween. That Hogsmeade trip was supposed to be our date. I really shouldn't have ditched you like that, let alone lied to you...I'm so sorry..."

Tobias sighed, watching Elizabeth. She found herself holding her breath, waiting for his response as she stared at him...

"Okay," he said softly, "I mean, you were trying to help a friend...I just wish you would have told me from the start."

"Would...Would you have minded?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"Of course I would," Tobias said, "We had been planning that date from the beginning of the year. But I would at least understand you wanting to help a friend."

Elizabeth felt even guiltier than before at that. She looked down again, brushing back her hair.

"I'm really sorry, Tobias," she said softly, "Can...Will you please let me make this up to you?"

"Yeah, of course," Tobias said, leaning closer and kissing Elizabeth on the cheek, "Just...Please don't lie to me again?"

"Of course," Elizabeth said, grinning at Tobias, relief rushing through her. He wasn't going to break up with her. She was getting a second chance. "I promise. I won't let this happen again. And next Hogsmeade trip, we'll have that date."

"Good," Tobias said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Elizabeth nodded, watching Tobias leave before she headed towards the girls' dormitories, her spirit lighter. Harry was okay. Things were looking even better with Tobias...Things were starting to get better.

At least, they were until the next day. Elizabeth had spent most of the day with Tobias, but late in the afternoon, she went to go visit Harry in the hospital wing, skipping dinner to do so. When she reached the hospital wing, Harry was alone and Elizabeth went over, sitting next to the bed.

"Hermione and Ron went to dinner," Harry said before Elizabeth could ask and she grinned at him.

"How're you doing?" she asked instead, "With everything."

"I'm okay," Harry said, then paused, "I...Can I tell you something, and you not mention it to Hermione or Ron? I know how they'll react and...Well, I know you'll understand better."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

Harry sighed, looking down at his dinner tray.

"Never mind," he said, "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked softly, "Harry...Is this about the dementors?"

"No," Harry said, then paused, "Well, partly. It's...I was probably just imagining things, but...Right before the dementors showed up, I thought I saw a grim again. In the stands."

Elizabeth felt cold, watching Harry. She could tell he was serious. He really did believe he saw the grim...That, added to what happened, and Black on the loose...

"Well...you're still alive," Elizabeth managed weakly, "That's something. And I've never heard of someone being stalked by a grim...It was dark out there, the storm was raging. Maybe it was just a trick of the light?"

"Maybe," Harry said slowly, then looked to Elizabeth, "What if a grim is following me? I mean, with Sirius Black after me..."

"You think the grim is a warning that he's going to get to you?" Elizabeth asked.

"He's already gotten into the castle once."

"Well...A grim is just an omen..." Elizabeth said, trying to cheer Harry up, "Maybe it's more just a warning, telling you to brace yourself. You can fight back. Not let the grim get to you. You're stubborn like that. I mean, you have this weird knack for surviving the unsurvivable."

A small grin formed on Harry's face at that, and Elizabeth grinned back.

"And I was thinking," Elizabeth said, trying to keep the topic cheerful, "I have a Comet Two-Sixty. I know it's no Nimbus, but...You're welcome to borrow my broom until you can get a new one."

"Thanks, Elizabeth," Harry said, though he didn't sound that pleased about it as he looked over to the bag on his nightstand. Apparently he wasn't willing to give up his shattered Nimbus.

"I'm really sorry about your broom," Elizabeth said, "Maybe you could get another Nimbus. Or a Firebolt."

"Yeah, if I wanted to spend every last galleon in my vault," Harry said sarcastically, "I'll probably just get another Nimbus..."

Harry seemed reluctant to buy a broom, however. Through all of the next month, he borrowed Elizabeth's during Quidditch practice. Elizabeth didn't mind, however. She was more focused on other things.

She had set herself to spending more time with Tobias. Of course, she still spent time with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but she didn't want to let herself start ignoring her boyfriend for anything. She often spent afternoons after dinner in the common room with him, working on homework. Tobias was a great help with helping Elizabeth understand Astronomy more.

As November rolled into December, Elizabeth signed up to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas break. She wanted to be there for Harry, who until coming to Hogwarts had nothing in way of Christmas. But also, Elizabeth knew her Aunt Ginger was now heavily pregnant and she didn't want to be around the mood swings.

Lewis signed up to stay as well. He claimed it was because it was his O.W.L. year and he wanted to study, but Elizabeth knew he was doing it to make sure she stayed out of trouble. Elizabeth thought he was being overbearing. After all, she hadn't gotten herself into any trouble since the school year started. But he obviously hadn't forgotten the previous Christmas where Elizabeth turned herself into a cat-person.

Elizabeth didn't let herself worry about that, however. She had something better to think about. The last day of the term, there was going to be another Hogsmeade trip. And this time, Elizabeth was set on going with Tobias. She doubted the 'faking sick' would work again, and honestly, she didn't want to try it again. She wanted to spend a day with Tobias, especially since it was the last day before the holidays began.

So when the Hogsmeade trip came along, Elizabeth bundled up warmly in her favorite long-sleeved dress and thick leggings, pushing a nice headband into her hair before grabbing her winter cloak and headed into the common room.

"Elizabeth," Tobias said, coming over to her, "You look really nice."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said, feeling herself blush, "Looking forward to that tour of Hogsmeade."

"Then let's go," Tobias said, holding his arm out to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth grinned, wrapping her arm around his as he led her off from the room.

"Hogsmeade is great," he said as they started from the castle, "I can't wait to show you everything."

"I definitely want to see some shops," Elizabeth said, "I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet. My Aunt Ginger is going to have a baby in a couple of months. It'd be nice to get her something for it."

"Yeah, I know of a good place."

It was nice, getting this time with Tobias. Elizabeth enjoyed chatting as they made their way to Hogsmeade, and once in the town, she was instantly impressed.

The entire town was blanketed in snow, while a light snow was currently falling. Shops lined the street they were along, and more streets went off on different side streets lined with houses.

Shopping with Tobias was fun. He gave her a tour of Hogsmeade, showing her one shop after the next. They spent quite a lot of time in Honeydukes Sweet Shop, going from one sweet to the next. Elizabeth did most of her Christmas shopping there. The place was quickly becoming Elizabeth's favorite, even though they'd only been through a few small shops before there. But Elizabeth was always one for a bit of a sweet tooth, so a candy shop was a place Elizabeth really loved. Even though she was mostly shopping for others, she couldn't help but pick up sweets for herself as well.

Once done at Honeydukes, Elizabeth and Tobias also stopped by a small toy shop where Elizabeth found a very plush stuffed phoenix for her future niece-or-nephew. The snow was getting heavier and the wind stronger as they left the store, and Elizabeth pulled the hood of her cloak over her head.

"How about we head to the Three Broomsticks?" Tobias asked over the wind, "I'll treat you to butterbeer. It's the best stuff, will really warm you up."

"Sounds great," Elizabeth said, following Tobias along the street to a pub nearby.

Inside was warm and noisy, reminding Elizabeth a little of The Leaky Cauldron. Tobias led Elizabeth through, passing a table where Hagrid and Professor McGonagall were chatting with the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Elizabeth glanced their way but she figured their conversation was private so didn't think much on it as she and Tobias found a table to themselves in one corner of the pub. Tobias went over to the bar, then returned with two mugs of butterbeer, handing one to Elizabeth.

"Thanks," Elizabeth gave her boyfriend a smile, "You were right. Hogsmeade is amazing."

"Today's been really nice," Tobias said, "We haven't really had a chance to have a real date, have we?"

Elizabeth blushed at that, looking down at her butterbeer. They would have had another date if she hadn't bailed the last time. Elizabeth took a sip of her butterbeer, closing her eyes at the warming feeling going through her. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked back at Tobias again.

"Not since Aunt Ginger's wedding," Elizabeth said, "But you're right. This is really nice."

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!"

Elizabeth jerked, spilling her butterbeer across the table as she turned in her seat at Hagrid's outburst nearby. Most of the bar had suddenly gone quiet and turned towards the noise.

"What's going on?" Tobias asked in surprise.

"I met him!" Hagrid said loudly, "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they were killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead...an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flying motorbike he used ter ride."

Elizabeth went cold, despite the warmth of the inn, and the butterbeer dripping onto her cloak over her lap. Hagrid was talking about Sirius Black...And Harry. Sure, they knew Black was after Harry, but...He'd shown up just moments after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was destroyed by a backfired curse?

"Never occurred to me what he was doin' there," Hagrid said, "I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!"

The entire bar was quiet now, staring over towards Hagrid. Elizabeth gripped her cloak in her lap. She knew a bit about Secret-Keepers. Her mother talked about considering having the Fidelius Charm done on their home during the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If Black had been the Potter's Secret-Keeper, but they still were dead...He had to have betrayed them...

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lilly an' James?" Hagrid went on, "It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him—' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore', he says."

"I...I'm sorry, Tobias, but I need to go," Elizabeth managed, getting to her feet. Harry...He would want to know this. She had to get back to the castle, let him know what he heard.

"I'll talk to you later, I promise," Elizabeth said, pulling her cloak on and heading out of the Three Broomsticks, out into the cold winter air, not even looking if Tobias was following. She just knew she needed to get back to the castle. How was she supposed to enjoy a date with what she just heard held over her? Sirius Black had been a close enough friend that he'd been Harry's parents' Secret-Keeper...Had been Harry's godfather...

Harry deserved to know the truth. That the man responsible He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killing his parents had once been their best friend...Harry needed to know. She would just have to worry about Tobias's reaction later.

Elizabeth, unfortunately, didn't find Harry back at the castle. She didn't see him again until dinner that night, and Elizabeth couldn't talk with him since Percy was nearby. Elizabeth tried, instead, to go apologize to Tobias for running off on him, but he wasn't at dinner. Elizabeth tried not to read too much into it. Things were going well with Tobias, after all. He'd overheard the same thing she did at the Three Broomsticks. He'd have to understand why she needed to leave in a hurry.

Elizabeth didn't each much of the dinner, and soon just got up and headed into the entrance hall, waiting for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to come out. When they finally did, Harry just went right past her and up the stairs.

"Harry?" Elizabeth asked, starting after, but Hermione took her arm and held her back.

"We need to talk," she said.

"But I have something I need to tell Harry," Elizabeth looked over to Hermione, "Something I overheard at Hogsmeade—"

"He knows already," Ron said, "He was in Hogsmeade."

"What? How?"

"Come on, we'll explain everything."

Elizabeth, confused, followed Hermione and Harry into one of the study rooms they often hung out together in when the weather was too rainy or cold to go out to the courtyards. It was empty now, as most people were either at dinner, or packing in their common rooms to head home for the holidays the next day.

"Fred and George had this map of Hogwarts and gave it to Harry," Ron said, "It had this passage to Honeydukes on it, and he used it to get to Hogsmeade. He found us there, and we went to the Three Broomsticks...We were there when Professor McGonagall came in with Hagrid and Fudge."

"So...So Harry heard?" Elizabeth asked softly, "About Black being his godfather, how he was his parents' friend?"

"And how Black killed another of their friends, Peter Pettigrew," Hermione said softly, "When he blew up that street of Muggles..."

"No wonder he looked so pale..." Elizabeth whispered, "I...I thought he deserved to know, but...Finding out like that?"

"We're worried about him," Ron said, "I mean...You don't think he'd...Well, that he'd try to go after Black, do you?"

"I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to," Elizabeth said bitterly.

"What?" Hermione's voice was high, "Elizabeth, he could get himself killed!"

"I didn't say he should!" Elizabeth protested, "I just said, I can't blame him for wanting revenge. I mean, my father was killed by a Death Eater. That alone is enough to make me hate him. I'm glad he's rotting in Azkaban. But if it turned out the man used to be his friend? Of course I'd want him dead."

Ron and Hermione fell silent, glancing at each other, and Elizabeth sighed.

"We'll talk to him tomorrow," she said, "Maybe he'll have calmed down by then. We'll talk to him and make sure he's okay. I mean, the holidays are starting, that should help take his mind off things."


	11. Chapter Eleven

_**Chapter Eleven:**_

Elizabeth woke up early the next morning to the sound of her roommates chatting while they packed. Elizabeth got dressed quickly, heading to the common room. She wanted to catch Tobias before he left to wish him a Happy Christmas, and she did indeed find him just as he was pulling his trunk from the boy's dormitories.

"Tobias," Elizabeth said, hurrying over to him, "I was hoping to catch you."

"Yeah, I just finished breakfast and I'm heading down to the train," Tobias said a bit quickly, "Happy Christmas, Elizabeth. I'll see you when I'm back."

"What?" Elizabeth hurried to keep up with her boyfriend, "Is this about yesterday? Tobias, I'm sorry, I just...I guess I freaked out a little. Can we not leave the holidays on bad terms?"

Tobias sighed, putting down the end of his trunk and looked fully at Elizabeth.

"I wasn't thinking to, I was hoping to just head on out without having to have this conversation..."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked slowly.

"I just..." Tobias started, then sighed, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't think things are working...Between us."

Elizabeth suddenly felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her and she stared at Tobias.

"Wh-what?" she asked weakly, her voice shaking.

"You're great," Tobias said slowly, shifting a little and cleared his throat, "You're a really great girl, Elizabeth. It's just you always seem somewhere else, even when we're supposed to be together...I can't be your boyfriend when you're constantly heading off to be with someone else. I'm sorry. I just don't think we should date anymore."

Elizabeth felt herself trembling now, staring at Tobias. He cleared his throat again, grabbed his trunk, and left. Elizabeth couldn't move, just standing alone in the tunnel, staring at the closed door separating the Hufflepuff common room from the basement corridor.

Tears were stinging Elizabeth's eyes now. She didn't know what to do. When she woke up, she still had a boyfriend. And now...She didn't.

And it was basically her fault. She kept putting her friends first. She should have known that would push him away...

The porthole opened and, for a fraction of a second, Elizabeth had the wild thought that Tobias was coming back. Though she instantly had that thought squashed when it wasn't Tobias, but Cedric and Lewis that came in. Elizabeth immediately felt herself flushing. She must have looked as bad as she felt because Lewis was instantly over at her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Without even really aware she was doing it, Elizabeth moved forward, wrapping her arms around her brother and hiding her face against his chest, her glasses pushing against the bridge of her nose but she didn't really care.

"I can see this is a sibling thing," Cedric said nearby, "I have to finish packing anyway. Happy Christmas, Lewis, Elizabeth."

"Happy Christmas," Lewis said, then leaning back and lifting Elizabeth's face, "Come on, let's find somewhere out of the way."

Elizabeth nodded slowly, letting Lewis lead her from the common room, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. They walked until they found an empty classroom and the two went in, sitting down against the wall.

"So, what's wrong?" Lewis asked, "What happened?"

Elizabeth sighed, resting her head against her brother's shoulder.

"Tobias and I broke up," she said softly.

Elizabeth felt Lewis' arm tighten on her shoulder, and he was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he finally said through gritted teeth. Elizabeth almost smiled at that. She knew Lewis never had liked her dating.

"He dumped me," Elizabeth said softly, "Just before he left for holidays."

"That git," Lewis hissed, "Dumping you and running so he doesn't have to deal with it? And on the holidays?"

"It's kinda my fault," Elizabeth whispered.

"Of course it's not," Lewis said instantly, straightening up and turning to Elizabeth.

"I think it is," Elizabeth tucked some of her hair back, "I...Sort of kept spending more time with my friends than him...I skipped our first Hogsmeade trip to be with Harry, because he couldn't go and I didn't want him sitting around alone...And yesterday, during our date, I just...I heard something that sort of freaked me out, so I hurried off and just left our date..."

"It sounds more like it's his fault," Lewis said, "Sounds like he was jealous and couldn't take you spending time with friends."

Elizabeth frowned. She really doubted Lewis was right. After all, Tobias was a sweet guy. She was sure she had pushed him away, putting friends over dating. But she knew Lewis was trying to make her feel better. And she appreciated it.

"Thanks, Lewis," Elizabeth said, reaching up and wiping her eyes. She wasn't aware when it was she had started crying...

"Anytime, Liz," Lewis said, "How about we head back to the common room, play some gobstones?"

"That sounds great, but maybe later," Elizabeth said, "Harry...Had some really bad news yesterday. I'd like to check up on him."

"Okay," Lewis said, getting up, "See you at lunch?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth said, "Thanks again."

Lewis gave Elizabeth a grin before leaving the room. Elizabeth got herself up, dusting off her skirt before heading out of the room and making her way up to the Gryffindor tower. The castle was getting more quiet now, and when Elizabeth looked out the window, she didn't see any carriages heading to the trains. Apparently students had all left now. Maybe the others were up by now...

Elizabeth had just reached the top of a stairway and turned into the corridor when she walked right into the people she was looking for, all three of them wrapped in warm cloaks.

"Harry! I was just looking for you," Elizabeth said, forcing herself to grin. She hoped her eyes weren't too red, but the way Hermione looked at her told her they were.

"We tried to get you on the mirror," Harry said, "We're going down to visit Hagrid. I want to know why he never told me Black was my parents' friend."

"Oh..." Elizabeth looked over to Hermione and Ron, both of whom looked worried as Harry started off and Elizabeth hurried to catch up. She was about to match pace with Harry, but Hermione took her arm and pulled her back.

"Were you crying?" she asked in a whisper.

"I'm okay," Elizabeth whispered back, "I'm more worried about Harry."

Hermione frowned at Elizabeth, but honestly, Elizabeth didn't feel like sharing the news she was single again twice in one morning, so she quickened her step to walk with Harry and Ron. Elizabeth couldn't blame Harry at all for fixating on what he learned yesterday. She just hoped he learned a difference between wanting Black back in Azkaban and actively doing something about it himself...

When they got outside, the cold air hit Elizabeth and she shuddered, tightening her arms around her, suddenly wishing she had her cloak. She huddled up against herself as they hurried down to Hagrid's, and Elizabeth positioned herself among the others for their warmth, and using them to break the wind before it got to her.

After the first few knocks, there wasn't any answer. Elizabeth, starting to feel numb in her face, hands and feet, glanced worriedly at her friends.

"Do you think something's wrong?" she asked.

"Hagrid!" Harry suddenly called loudly, banging on the door, "Hagrid, are you in there?"

Elizabeth shivered, moving closer to Harry next to her for warmth as the door opened, and it was immediately apparent that he had been crying.

"Yeh've heard?" he asked, immediately hugging Harry—and Elizabeth since she was so close. Elizabeth yelped, trying not to collapse under the weight. Thankfully, Ron and Hermione hurried to their rescue and moved Hagrid to a chair in his hut. Elizabeth quickly followed inside, eager for warmth. Immediately, she was met with the sight of Hagrid sinking to a chair and hiding his face in his arms on the table.

"Hagrid, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, moving closer and resting a hand on the giant man's back.

"What's this, Hagrid?" Harry asked, motioning to a letter lying on the table. Hagrid's response was to cry louder before pushing the letter to Harry, who picked it up and began to read as Elizabeth went over to read over his shoulder:

_Dear Mr. Hagrid,_

_Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident._

_However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated._

"Oh..." Ron said slowly, "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off."

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" Hagrid was finally managing to settle down in his crying and looked up at the others, his eyes red, "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

A noise nearby made Elizabeth jump, squeaking a little in the process. She spun around, then noticed a massive creature laying on Hagrid's bed. The back half seemed like a normal horse, but the front half was like a massive eagle. Its bird-like head was bent over, eating on something that looked like a ferret.

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" Hagrid said, "All on his own! At Christmas!"

Elizabeth glanced at her friends, but didn't say anything. She didn't exactly think the creatures Hagrid called 'interesting' stopped there. Sure, they could be fascinating, but they were often dangerous an illegal. Hippogriffs, however, weren't illegal creatures. Elizabeth knew that as long as they had the proper spells in place to detour Muggles, there was nothing wrong with keeping hippogriffs.

"We'll help you, Hagrid," Elizabeth said, "We'll do some research, find some way to help get Buckbeak off..."

It took nearly half an hour, but Elizabeth and the others finally managed to convince Hagrid that they could help, that they could find a way to free Buckbeak. Slowly, Hagrid began to cheer up, wiping his face and starting to grin at the four.

"I've not bin meself lately," Hagrid said finally, petting Fang who'd come over to him, "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes—"

"We do like them!" Hermione said, which Elizabeth knew was a lie. They never talked about Care of Magical Creatures, except for how boring it was feeding flobberworms all the time.

"An' them dementors makin' me feel ruddy terrible an' all," Hagrid went on, "Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban—"

Hagrid cut himself off, focusing on his mug of tea. Elizabeth came over to Hagrid, patting him on the back. He had never talked about Azkaban, and Elizabeth couldn't blame him. Not with the stories she'd heard.

It took time, but they were finally able to cheer Hagrid up as the light grew dim outside. Hagrid insisted on walking them back to the castle and to the Great Hall. Elizabeth looked over and noticed Lewis at the Hufflepuff table.

"Want to come eat dinner with my brother?" she offered, looking to her friends, "I mean, it's holidays, the tables are pretty empty."

They agreed, and Elizabeth led them over to Lewis, all taking seats at the table.

"Feeling better, Liz?" Lewis asked, and Elizabeth felt herself flushing as Harry and Ron gave her a curious look.

"Were you sick?" Harry asked and Elizabeth shook her head.

"I broke up with Tobias this morning," she said, turning her attention to putting food on her plate.

"Oh, Elizabeth..." Hermione said sympathetically, a hand going over her mouth.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Elizabeth said, not looking up. She didn't want to see the looks of pity her friends most likely had.

At least she had a distraction over the Christmas holidays. Every day, Elizabeth spent her time in the library with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, looking up information to help Hagrid with Buckbeak's defense. Elizabeth always felt a bit odd, surrounded by the decorations and spending her time looking up animal trial cases. Most were horrible examples and Elizabeth often lost her appetite before dinner.

If there was one good thing about all of it, Lewis seemed convinced Elizabeth wasn't up to anything involving breaking rules. With Tobias breaking up with her, and Elizabeth throwing herself into the work of helping Hagrid, Lewis seemed satisfied that his sister wouldn't get u to anything dangerous. In fact, he often came over to help them research. After all, he said, having Hagrid as a teacher wasn't a bad thing. He liked the groundskeeper and wanted to help.

Christmas morning came and Elizabeth woke up to a usual small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. Elizabeth eagerly went through them, grinning at her gifts. She got a small, wooden jewelry box from her mother, with a flower engraved on the lid. Various sweets from various friends—though Elizabeth wasn't surprised. With Hogsmeade access, she was sure most all third years got their friends sweets from Honeydukes. She'd done the same, after all.

There were only a couple of non-sweets presents. The jewelry box from her mother, a new broom compass from her brother, and a matching bracelet and necklace from her aunt. A new quill and ink set from Hermione...She was always one about practical gifts.

Elizabeth got dressed, deciding to wear the new jewelry from her aunt, and made her way into the Hufflepuff common room where Lewis already was.

"Happy Christmas, Liz," he said with a grin, "Up for a game of Wizard Snap?"

"Sounds great!" Elizabeth said, coming over to her brother. She hadn't gotten to spend much time with just him. Even over their Christmas holiday, they've been spending most of their time in the library with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The two spent the entire morning playing rounds of the explosive card game. It was nice to get time with each other like this, just playing and joking around.

"This is actually really nice," Lewis said halfway through their fourth game, "I've spent so much time studying for my O.W.L.s, or even helping you the past week, I've kind of neglected just relaxing."

When lunch game along, the two made their way upstairs to the Great Hall. As they entered, they noticed the tables were gone. Instead, there was one large, round table in the center of the room where the Heads-of-Houses were already sitting with Filch, Professor Dumbledore, a Slytherin Lewis said was in his year, and a couple of first year Ravenclaws.

They had just sat down when the Great Hall doors opened again and Elizabeth looked up to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione had arrived. Elizabeth grinned and waved to them, and they came over and Harry sat next to her.

"Good Christmas?" Elizabeth asked as they made their plates, and Dumbledore donned a large hat with a stuffed vulture on it he got from his Christmas cracker.

"So far, yeah," Harry said with a nod, grinning at Elizabeth.

"You should see what he got!" Ron leaned around Harry, "He has a _Firebolt_!"

Elizabeth dropped her fork in shock, her eyes widening as Lewis choked on his pumpkin juice.

"Someone sent you a Firebolt?" Elizabeth asked weakly, "A _Firebolt_?"

"Who sent you that?" Lewis asked, his own eyes wide.

"I don't know, there wasn't a tag," Harry said, though he was grinning himself, "I won't have to borrow your broom anymore!"

"I don't blame you," Elizabeth shook her head, "That...That's any Quidditch player's dream broom. I don't even play Quidditch but I'd love to use a Firebolt!"

"That broom probably costs more than what Mum makes in a year," Lewis said in disbelief, "Someone must really like you, Harry, to send one anonymously."

"Sibyll, this is a pleasant surprise!"

Elizabeth looked up. Sure enough, Professor Trelawney had come into the Great Hall. Elizabeth suddenly realized she'd never seen her Divination teacher outside of the classroom. She couldn't remember a single time Professor Trelawney was ever at the staff table during a meal.

"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," Professor Trelawney said in her usual mysterious tone, "And to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower, and I do beg you forgive my lateness..."

Dumbledore quickly welcomed Professor Trelawney, pulling up a chair from midair for her. She took her seat, looking around the table.

"But where is dear Professor Lupin?" she asked.

"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," Dumbledore said, "Most unfortunate that it should happen on Christmas day."

"I hope he's okay," Lewis whispered, "He gets sick so often..."

"But surely you already knew that, Sibyll?" Professor McGonagall asked. Elizabeth knew their Transfiguration teacher had little respect for the Divination teacher.

"Certainly I knew, Minerva," Professor Trelawney replied, glaring at her fellow teacher, "But one does not parade the fact that one is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed of the Inner Eye, so as not to make others nervous."

"That explains a great deal," Professor McGonagall said sarcastically. Elizabeth kept her gaze down, though she wasn't too happy. She might not believe everything Professor Trelawney said, but she still respected her teacher and thought there was a lot of truth to things she taught.

"If you must know, Minerva," Professor Trelawney said coldly, "I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware, himself, that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him—"

"Imagine that."

"I doubt that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger," Professor Dumbledore cut in cheerfully before the two women could argue more, "Severus, you've made the potion for him again?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape replied simply.

Elizabeth glanced over at Harry next to him. Lupin was sick, and Snape was making the potion? Just like at Halloween...Elizabeth didn't want to think Snape was up to anything, but...It clicked. Once wa a coincidence. Twice, however?

They didn't get much time to think on it, however. As they ate, Ron started talking about brooms again. Harry told Elizabeth he'd bring it down from the common room to let her see it once they were done eating, maybe they'd all go out and take turns flying it.

Elizabeth agreed eagerly and told the boys she'd meet them in the entrance hall as they headed off, though Hermione stayed behind at the table. Elizabeth hurried to her common room and grabbed her winter cloak before heading back into the entrance hall.

When they finally came down, however, Elizabeth immediately noticed that, even though they were in winter cloaks, bundled up in scarves and hats, neither of them were carrying a broom.

"Where's your Firebolt?" Elizabeth asked, seeing their frowns.

"Hermione went to Professor McGonagall," Ron said bitterly, "She gave her some insane idea that Sirius Black could have sent Harry the broom, so now Professor McGonagall's confiscated the broom. She wants to test it for jinxes."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, horrified, "She wants to...Stripping down a broom like that is...What was Hermione _thinking_? There's no way Black could have gotten that broom! Someone would have seen him walking in, or there'd be some report in the Daily Prophet about someone breaking into Quality Quidditch Supplies, they're the only store that carries them right now..."

"That's what we think," Ron said, "But Professor McGonagall wants to test it."

Elizabeth shook her head slowly. Stripping down a Firebolt? The thought wasn't something Elizabeth cared to linger on. What was Hermione _thinking_ going to Professor McGonagall?


	12. Chapter Twelve

_**Chapter Twelve:**_

Elizabeth didn't see Hermione again for the rest of the Christmas holidays. Which suited her fine. She wasn't the one who'd shortly owned a Firebolt, but she, like Ron, thought it was nearly criminal to strip the thing down. It was a Firebolt, after all. The best racing broom in existence. And now, it was most likely being stripped to nothing.

Hermione apparently took refuge in the library, so Harry, Ron, and Elizabeth spent most of their time in empty classrooms or the Great Hall, or out in the snow having snowball fights. Elizabeth was enjoying herself so much, she had completely forgotten Tobias in the following week.

Something that came rushing back the day students were returning from holiday. Elizabeth was coming down the marble staircase with Harry and Ron for dinner—they'd just been up in one of the study halls exchanging Chocolate Frog cards for each other's collections—when they noticed students were coming in the front doors. It seemed the train had returned with those who had left for holiday.

And it was just Elizabeth's luck that Tobias was one of the students coming in at just that moment. Elizabeth stopped short and, unfortunately, Tobias saw her. He glanced at her for barely a second, then turned and headed into the Great Hall quickly. Elizabeth felt as if she'd been slapped, her hands shaking at her side and tears stinging at her eyes.

"Elizabeth?" Harry asked softly next to her.

"I...I'm not hungry," Elizabeth managed weakly, "I'll see you later."

Elizabeth hurried to the Hufflepuff common room before Ron or Harry could say anything. She'd been feeling great, and then she suddenly saw Tobias and...It just crumbled. Elizabeth went into her dormitory and sank onto her bed, noticing Cream there and she immediately hugged her cat closer, despite her protesting meows.

She'd been doing okay, she didn't even think about Tobias...Then she saw him in the entrance hall and things came rushing back. His words, the way he wouldn't quite look at her...Knowing the reason for the breakup had been her own fault...

Elizabeth groaned and flopped back on her bed, Cream still in her arms. Why couldn't she just wave her wand and make herself get over this stupid pain? The two of them barely dated a few months, after all...

**xxxxx**

Elizabeth welcomed the start of classes the following day. It meant less time to chance running into Tobias again. What also helped was the reaction of her roommates when they found out. None of them gave her pitying looks. Hannah sat on the bed next to Elizabeth and put an arm around her in a half-hug while the girls all encouraged Elizabeth that she could do better than 'some git who will dump you right before the holidays'. Susan even offered to hit Tobias with a good leg-locker curse, which made Elizabeth smile.

She soon fell into an almost-familiar routine. Classes were spent with her fellow Hufflepuffs, as were most every meal. But where before, she'd spend off hours with Tobias in the common room, or with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in various hangouts, Elizabeth was now avoiding the common room whenever possible, not wanting to run into Tobias. And with still at odds with Hermione, and Harry having Quidditch practices five afternoons a week, and lessons with Professor Lupin to fend off dementors, Elizabeth spent out-of-class time with just Ron.

Ron was a lot of fun, he always was. They'd joke and laugh, complain about classes or teachers—especially Snape. Though Elizabeth couldn't help but think it didn't feel quite right without Harry. Sure, she missed Hermione a bit too, but she was still mad at her over the Firebolt. Harry, however, was only not around because he was busy with Quidditch and lessons with Lupin. They only had one afternoon a week they were able to get together, and that was spent helping Harry tackle a week's worth of homework in one night. At least until curfew, when Harry and Ron went back to the Gryffindor common room and Elizabeth went to the Hufflepuff one. As usual, Elizabeth didn't look around, not wanting to catch sight of Tobias as she went straight to the girl's dormitories. Again, as usual, one of her roommates was already there. Elizabeth knew they were doing this to make sure Elizabeth wasn't sitting here alone, and she really appreciated it.

"Oh, hullo," Hannah said, grinning at Elizabeth as she looked up from her book.

"Good book?" Elizabeth asked as she sat on her own bed.

"Oh, yes," Hannah held up the book, with 'Of Magic and Muggles' in loopy, cursive writing and a moving picture of a young witch and a handsome young man on the cover. One of the romance novels Megan had gotten Hannah into, apparently. Elizabeth was never really into them.

"I'll let you get back to reading, I have some homework to do anyway," Elizabeth said, pulling out her Divination homework on palmistry—the most recent study they had started—diagramming what lines represented what on the palm of the hand.

As January ended and February began, Elizabeth and Lewis received news from home: Aunt Ginger had her baby.

"Mum says Aunt Ginger and Ursula are doing fine," Lewis said, looking over the letter, "Xavier is beside himself. He apparently has been telling strangers on the street."

Elizabeth laughed at that, shaking her head.

"I can't wait for summer," she said, "It'd be nice to finally meet Ursula."

"Plus she'll be a few months old by then," Lewis added.

"Very true," Elizabeth said, checking her watch, "I still have a bit of time before class, maybe I can pop over to the Gryffindor table and let Harry and Ron know..."

"Just be quick," Lewis said.

Elizabeth nodded, getting up and heading over to where she saw Ron and Harry were, but they got up and met her before she reached the Gryffindor table, Ron looking in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked instantly, heading for the entrance hall with her friends.

"Scabbers is gone," Ron growled, "Hermione's monster she calls a cat ate him."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, "When did this happen?"

"Last night," Harry answered, "Ron went up to the dormitories to put away my Firebolt—I got it back from Professor McGonagall—and he found blood on his sheets and cat hairs."

"And Hermione's refusing to admit Crookshanks ate him," Ron said sourly, "She even had the nerve to tell me to look under my bed for him! Like there wasn't blood on the sheets and evidence he's gone!"

"Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry..." Elizabeth said softly, "I...I know how much you loved Scabbers. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Cream."

Ron just grunted in response. Elizabeth looked over at Harry, trying to find something to say.

"I have a Quidditch practice tonight," Harry whispered as Ron walked on ahead, "Last one before the match tomorrow. I'm going to cheer Ron up by letting him take a ride on the Firebolt after practice."

"Hopefully it works," Elizabeth whispered, then changing the subject, speaking louder to get Ron back in the conversation, "You really got the Firebolt back?"

"Yeah, there was nothing wrong with it," Harry said, grinning.

"Another thing Hermione was wrong about," Ron said bitterly.

Harry and Elizabeth exchanged a look, but didn't say anything. They'd reached Elizabeth's first class of the day and she split off from her friends, heading on inside.

**xxxxx**

The weather conditions the next day were perfect for Quidditch. Elizabeth walked along with her fellow Hufflepuffs, enjoying the sunny day and gentle breeze. There was still a chill to the air, as winter hadn't left yet, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Elizabeth was excited. Sure, Hufflepuff was out of the running for the Quidditch cup that year, but it didn't mean she couldn't cheer on her friend Harry. Quite a few of the Hufflepuffs were rooting for Gryffindor today. Though Elizabeth felt it might partly be due to the fact Harry had the Firebolt now.

The match itself quickly became as perfect as the weather. Even though Gryffindor kept in the lead, Ravenclaw was putting up a fight. And even though Cho Chang—Ravenclaw's Seeker, whom Elizabeth only knew through Cedric—was on a much more outdate broom than Harry, she was impressively keeping up with him.

Late in the match, Harry suddenly went into a dive, Cho close behind. Elizabeth leapt to her feet, cheering loudly, encouraging her friend on from the stands. He had to have seen the Snitch...Then Harry rose out of the dive in a sharp turn. Cho was unable to copy and went on a much slower arch, leveling out much closer to the ground as Harry shot upward. Elizabeth laughed, realizing Harry had faked Cho out. He seemed to have actually seen the Snitch, though, because he went shooting for one end of the field. There was cheering from the crowd around Harry, many fans urging him on. That is, until there was a shout and Elizabeth looked down, then blinked in surprise.

Three tall, hooded black figures were moving onto the field. But they couldn't be dementors...They were moving too awkwardly, not the silent, eerie glide. There was no chill in the air, no feeling of dread...

Something large and silver shot across the field and Elizabeth looked up to see Harry, wand in hand, turning from the figures and shooting back across the field, hand out.

A second later, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the match was over. Even though there were cheers, the Gryffindors were the loudest of all as the Gryffindor team was making it to the ground. Elizabeth couldn't help but feel excited herself. Gryffindor was now in the running for the Quidditch cup.

"Look at that!" Rodger called over the cheering with a laugh, pointing down at the field near the swarming Gryffindors. Elizabeth leaned forward, then laughed.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were tangled in black robes far below, with Professor McGonagall standing over them and obviously yelling. Elizabeth could tell now why the dementors didn't seem quite right.

The good mood seemed infectious through the whole castle that night. Even though Elizabeth didn't get a chance to talk to Harry and congratulate him on the match—he'd been swept away by the Gryffindors pretty quickly—the Hufflepuffs seemed eager to talk about the match into the night as well.

"I'm glad it was the Ravenclaws playing them first with Harry on that Firebolt," Cedric said, "It gives us time to prepare for next year. I've seen Harry on that broom now, I can start working on good strategies."

"Come on, Ced, you beat him before," Lewis said, "You're the only person who's beaten Harry Potter in Quidditch. That's something."

"Not when it's not really a win," Cedric countered, "I won that match by default. Harry would have caught that Snitch first if it weren't for the dementors."

"You don't know that. You were pulling ahead of him, and you caught that Snitch before he fell."

Elizabeth, not wanting to listen to an argument over whether the match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had been fair, decided to leave her brother and his friend. Though she'd barely made it halfway across the common room when she suddenly walked into Tobias Marsh.

"I...er...sorry," Elizabeth muttered, looking away, a familiar feeling of regret and nerves tying in her stomach. She hadn't faced Tobias at all since he'd returned from holidays...At least, not any more than a second in passing.

"It's okay, don't worry," Tobias said, "Um, see you around."

He walked off with that and Elizabeth felt her face burning as she stared after him. She didn't expect the breakup to still sting, but it did...And now actually facing Tobias, the fact they barely exchanged a few words, that somehow hurt worse. It was just another reminder of how far their relationship fell apart...

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth jumped and spun around, feeling herself flushing when she saw Susan was standing behind her.

"Oh, you need something?" Elizabeth asked, forcing herself to give a grin.

"Actually, yes," Susan said, "See, I got this big box of Chocolate Frogs from my auntie for my birthday. There's no way I'll eat all them on my own, I was wondering if you'd like some?"

Elizabeth felt herself giving a real grin then. She knew the real reason Susan was offering, and Elizabeth was grateful for it. She didn't want to talk about what just happened, but it was nice knowing someone knew about it, and was there to help.

"Sounds great, thanks," Elizabeth said softly, hoping to put more thanks into her voice than just for the chocolate. Susan grinned in response and gave a nod, and Elizabeth had a feeling Susan understood completely.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_**Chapter Thirteen:**_

When Elizabeth got to breakfast the next morning with Susan and Hannah, she could tell something had happened. The teachers seemed more nervous than usual, and there was a crowd gathering around the Gryffindor table—a crowd that Elizabeth noticed Harry and Ron were in the center of.

"I wonder what's going on?" Hannah asked.

"I'll go ask," Elizabeth said, heading towards the crowd. As she got closer, she could year Ron's voice from the middle of the crowd.

"...And I heard this noise, woke me up, see," Ron was saying, "I sort of felt like I was still dreaming, until I rolled over and opened my eyes and saw him _standing_ there. He had this huge knife, must have been a foot long at least..."

Elizabeth felt sick. Someone had been standing over Ron with a knife? When did this happen?

"What happened then?" a second-year girl asked.

"I yelled—who wouldn't?" Ron went on, "And he just ran. Woke up the entire Gryffindor tower, and well, that's it."

"This happened last night?" Elizabeth asked, pushing through the crowd. Harry and Ron looked up.

"Yeah, hold on and I'll explain," Harry said, getting up and breaking from the crowd, leaving Ron to tell the story again and Elizabeth followed her friend out into the entrance hall, "Sirius Black got into the castle again. He was in our room last night."

"_What?_" Elizabeth felt faint, going cold as she stared at Harry, "Black...Black was _in your room_? And what Ron said...He had a _knife_?"

"Yeah..." Harry said, "Black was gone by the time the rest of us woke up, but he was there. He ran when Ron screamed..."

"Good thing he did," Elizabeth said weakly, "If Ron hadn't woken up and scared him off..."

"I don't think it was that," Harry said, "I mean, Black betrayed my parents without a thought. He blew up an entire street. Why run because one thirteen-year-old woke up and screamed?"

Elizabeth frowned. She didn't really have an answer to that...Besides, there was something else bothering her.

"Why didn't I sense it coming?" she asked, looking at Harry, "I mean, I usually do when something is going to happen...Like when Ginny was taken last year. Or when that troll got into the castle...But this time...And last time Black got in. I didn't feel like anything was wrong."

"You said yourself that it wasn't an exact thing," Harry said.

"Yes, but Black was in your room," Elizabeth said, "He was standing over Ron with a knife. If Ron hadn't woken up...There's a good chance all of you would be dead..." Elizabeth felt sick at the thought. "You'd think that would be something big enough that I'd sense coming..."

That thought stayed in Elizabeth's mind for the rest of the day. Divination was a class that just made sense to her. Sure, she didn't believe everything about it, but she still thought quite a bit of it was useful. She thought she might be open to the Sight, even if she didn't have it fully herself. But now things were happening and she didn't expect it...Maybe she'd been wrong...All those times before were just wild coincidences...

Two days later, Elizabeth had a distraction, however. Harry told Elizabeth after breakfast that Hagrid wanted them to come down for a visit, and he was coming up to the castle to walk them down. So, after dinner, Elizabeth waited in the entrance hall. Not long after, Hagrid came in the door, but before she had a chance to tell him hello, Ron and Harry came down the stairs nearby.

"S'pose you want to hear about Saturday night, do you?" Ron asked as he came up with a grin at Hagrid.

"I've already heard all abou' it," Hagrid said. Ron looked upset at that and Elizabeth hid a grin. Unlike Harry and Elizabeth, Ron liked being the center of attention.

When they reached Hagrid's hut, Elizabeth noticed Buckbeak was still being kept inside and apparently was taking Hagrid's bed completely now.

"What're they for, Hagrid?" Harry asked and Elizabeth turned to see him point towards Hagrid's wardrobe, where an ugly-looking fur suit was hanging.

"Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures," Hagrid answered, "This Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus..."

Elizabeth fidgeted a little, glancing to Harry and Ron, whom looked as guilty as she felt. They had promised to help Hagrid prepare for his trial...

"I've got somethin' ter discuss with you," Hagrid said as they all sat around Hagrid's table with tea, "Abou' Hermione."

"What about her?" Ron asked hotly.

"She's in a righ' state, that's what," Hagrid said, "She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Chris'mas. Bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren' talking to her because o' the Firebolt, now yer not talkin' to her because her cat—"

"—ate Scabbers!"

"Because her cat acted like all cats do. She's cried a fair few times, you know. Goin' through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all that work she's tryin' ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind...She's found some really good stuff fer me...reckon he'll stand a good chance now..."

Guilt wormed through Elizabeth even worse. Partly for not helping Hagrid, partly for thinking about Hermione on her own. They really should just put this all aside and talk to her...Elizabeth had Muggle Studies in the morning, and she knew Hermione shared the class. She'd talk to her then.

Unfortunately, trying to talk to Hermione didn't work out nearly like what Elizabeth had hoped. Elizabeth was just settling in at her desk when Hermione took the seat next to her and leaned closer.

"You have to talk to Harry," Hermione whispered, without so much of a hello, "I know he's planning to sneak to Hogsmeade again, and—And he won't listen to me! I told him if he tries, I'll go to Professor McGonagall about the map—"

"You what?" Elizabeth asked, staring at Hermione. There had been a notice about a Hogsmeade weekend coming up just yesterday, and Hermione was already starting? "What's wrong with you, Hermione? Doing something like that...Don't you realize that could get Harry _expelled_?"

Hermione flushed, then pushed herself to her feet and walked off to another desk. Elizabeth glared after her. Sure, she knew she needed to make up with Hermione, but her friend was making it too hard to do so.

**xxxxx**

Elizabeth stayed away from Hermione for the rest of the week, spending time with Harry and Ron. She found out from Harry that he did, in fact, plan to go to Hogsmeade. But he was planning to do so under his Invisibility Cloak. Elizabeth felt that should keep him safe enough, especially with her and Ron there.

So when Saturday came, Ron and Elizabeth made a show of telling Harry goodbye—since Hermione was watching suspiciously nearby—before following the string of students heading towards Hogsmeade.

"We're meeting him outside of Honeydukes, right?" Elizabeth asked, making sure Hermione wasn't in sight.

"Yeah," Ron replied, "He said the passage comes out in Honeydukes' cellar."

"It'll be nice getting to show Harry around," Elizabeth said, "Though I haven't seen everything yet. I didn't get a chance to visit Zonko's last time."

"How did you not visit Zonko's?" Ron asked, looking shocked.

"I was on a _date_," Elizabeth replied, feeling her face flush, though her stomach didn't tighten nearly as much as usual when she thought about Tobias, "Visiting a joke shop isn't exactly a 'date' type thing."

Ron looked as if the idea were insane. Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. With an idea like that, she had a feeling it might be a bit difficult for Ron to find a girlfriend.

They'd reached Honeydukes, and Elizabeth went inside to buy a couple of chocolate fudge to eat while they waited on Harry. They found herself waiting for quite a while before Elizabeth felt a bit of a tug on the back of her dress.

"It's me," Harry's voice came quietly behind them.

"What kept you?" Ron whispered.

"Snape was hanging around..."

"He didn't catch you, did he?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course not, he's here," Ron replied, starting along the street, "This feels weird, though...How can we make sure you're still here, Harry?"

"I'm here, don't worry," Harry said, "I'll keep up."

They started with showing Harry the post office. A building with hundreds of owls, each for different ranges of flight. Elizabeth bought Harry a box of owl treats that he could give Hedwig before they headed back out, passing them to Harry under his cloak when no one was looking.

Next, they decided to visit Zonko's. The shop was amazing, full of any type of prank imaginable. Though it was also so packed with students, Elizabeth quickly became uncomfortable, unable to walk along anywhere without bumping into anyone. It wasn't long before she told Harry and Ron she'd just meet them outside and she stepped out onto the street without buying anything. It wasn't so much the crowd. She'd begun learning to deal with crowds thanks to Hogwarts. The stands in Quidditch matches, the hallways between classes, on the train to and from school...Even though she didn't like tight spaces, she could usually tune that out for a while. It was the fact the shop was small, plus crowded. That was a mix that didn't sit too well with her.

Ron came out not long later, Harry saying he was right behind.

"How about we go up to the Shrieking Shack?" Ron asked, "I still haven't gotten to see it yet."

"I've been wanting to see it, too," Elizabeth said, "As long as we don't get too close or anything."

They made their way along the streets of Hogsmeade, then started up a sloping, muddy hill that led a little outside of Hogsmeade. The shack definitely had an air of being haunted. A fence surrounded it, separating an overgrown lawn from the path to Hogsmeade and the house itself looked as if it were falling apart, windows boarded up and pieces of the wooden frame missing in some places.

"The Fat Friar says that there's a bad group of ghosts there," Elizabeth said, leaning on the fence, "Worse even than Peeves. No one goes in there."

"Fred and George have tried," Ron said, "All the entrances are sealed tight."

"...should have an owl from Father any time now," a very familiar voice came from the nearby hill, "He had to go to the hearing to tell them about my arm...about how I couldn't use it for three months..."

Elizabeth tensed as Malfoy came into view, Crabbe and Goyle at his side as usual. Just Elizabeth's luck that she gets a day away from the castle, and has to run into Malfoy. The moment Malfoy noticed Elizabeth and Ron, he began smirking, a smirk that grew when he looked up towards the shack nearby.

"Suppose you'd love to live here, wouldn't you, Weasley?" he asked, "Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room, is that true?"

Ron started forward, but Elizabeth grabbed him by the arm.

"You'll get in trouble," she whispered, though she was tense and silently fuming herself.

"Leave him to me," Harry whispered from between them. Elizabeth's eyes widened. What was Harry thinking? He wasn't supposed to be in Hogsmeade. What if he got caught?

"We were just discussing your friend Hagrid," Malfoy said with a smirk, "Just trying to imagine what he's saying to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. D'you think he'll cry when they cut off his hippogriff's—"

Malfoy didn't get a chance to finish. He jerked forward as a large ball of mud hit him in the back of the head. Despite her worry of Harry getting into trouble, Elizabeth gripped her hands over her mouth, starting to giggle. The sight of someone like Malfoy with mud dripping down his pale hair and neck was something Elizabeth wouldn't soon forget.

"What was that?" Malfoy asked in panic, struggling to get mud from his hair, "Who did that?"

"Very haunted up here, isn't it?" Ron asked casually and Elizabeth snorted into her hands.

Crabbe and Goyle were looking around wildly, and Malfoy looked even more panicked as he was trying to get the mud from his hair.

Another mud ball came flying, splattering both Crabbe and Goyle at the same time. Elizabeth was having to lean against the fence, giggling so hard.

Crabbe rushed forward, waving his arms wildly as if he tried to find the source of the flying mud. Elizabeth watched in complete amusement as a stick lifted from the ground and flew at Crabbe's back. Crabbe spun around, then started for Elizabeth and Ron. Elizabeth tensed, but Crabbe went stumbling forward, landing face-first in the dirt.

And that's where things went wrong.

Harry's head was suddenly visible, floating in midair behind where Crabbe had just fallen. And Malfoy was staring right at him.

Malfoy screamed, taking off down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle right behind. Elizabeth rushed forward, her heart pounding as Harry completely disappeared from view again. Where just moments ago she'd been laughing, now she was panicking.

"You have to get back to the castle," Elizabeth said quickly, "Malfoy...he's probably going there now to tell a teacher! You're not supposed to be here—"

"I'll go," Harry said, and Elizabeth stepped forward.

"Wait, your Zonko's stuff!" she said, "If a teacher catches you with it..."

"Right..."

There was a pause, then a bag of Zonko's products appeared in midair. Elizabeth took them and pocketed them as she heard hurried footsteps heading away and she turned to Ron.

"We should head back to the castle," Ron said, "I'm sure Harry'll be okay, but..."

"But if Malfoy goes to Snape, it doesn't matter what anyone says," Elizabeth said, already starting down the street, Ron right beside her.

They both ran as fast as they could, barely even paying attention to the slight chill that came from passing the dementors at the Hogwarts gates. They didn't stop at all until they got to the entrance hall, both doubled over and trying to catch their breath.

"Where—where do—do you—think—he is?" Ron managed, panting heavily and rubbing his side.

As if on cue, Harry was coming up the stairs with Professor Lupin of all people. Ron and Elizabeth hurried over, catching part of Lupin and Harry's conversation as they got closer.

"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?" Harry was asking.

"Because..." Lupin paused, glancing at Elizabeth and Ron as they stopped next to Harry. Elizabeth noticed Lupin was holding a bit of old parchment. "Because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining."

Mapmakers? Elizabeth glanced at the parchment and realized it had to be the Marauder's Map. But how did Lupin know what it was?

"Do you _know_ them?" Harry asked and Elizabeth glanced at their teacher again.

"We've met," Lupin said simply, studying Harry, "Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the dementors draw near you would have more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them—gambling their sacrifice like this."

Lupin turned and walked away and Elizabeth looked to Harry, who was frowning. Harry started up the marble staircase without saying anything and Elizabeth and Ron followed behind.

"It's my fault," Ron said, "I persuaded you to go. Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't've done it—"

They'd rounded the corner and Ron cut off as they noticed Hermione coming towards them, a serious expression on her face. Elizabeth tensed. Had she heard about what happened already? Then, Elizabeth noticed a letter Hermione was holding.

"I just..." Hermione sighed, "I thought you ought to know...Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_**Chapter Fourteen:**_

If there was one thing Buckbeak's impending execution was good for, it healed the rift in the four's friendship. Ron was no longer holding a grudge against Hermione for her cat, and Hermione was no longer getting on their case about Crookshanks just acting like a cat, nor was she having any 'I-told-you-so' moments over Harry's sneaking to Hogsmeade. Elizabeth was grateful for this. Despite everything, she'd been feeling guilty about the whole situation and, honestly, she was missing Hermione. Harry and Ron were great, but sometimes when she was around the boys, she just wanted another girl around. They were great, but sometimes Harry and Ron could be a bit...immature. Hermione was someone who helped balance that.

They were getting back to the habit of spending their free time in the library, though with the security tightening around the castle, there wasn't much else to stay. Even with spring weather moving in, students rarely stayed out in the courtyards.

This also meant Elizabeth didn't really get a chance to talk with Hagrid. After all, she didn't take Care of Magical Creatures. Elizabeth didn't always get a chance to talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione about Hagrid until after classes were over, but there were some days, like a warm day close to Easter holidays, Elizabeth had Potions with the Ravenclaws at the same time. So she'd wait in the entrance hall after class to wait on her Gryffindor friends, to head upstairs to their next classes—they had Charms, she had Defense Against the Dark Arts—together.

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, she wasn't the only one waiting in the entrance hall. Not long after Elizabeth stopped to wait, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had come in and stayed at the door, glancing back outside and chuckling. Elizabeth glared at them, knowing exactly what they were up to. They were coming from Care of Magical Creatures, and they were laughing. It didn't take a genius to know what they found so amusing.

Elizabeth wasn't usually that short tempered, but she also knew that it was Malfoy's fault that Buckbeak was going to be executed. He was enjoying the aftermath of it far too much. And he definitely was enjoying Hagrid's misery more than anyone should.

"You are a horrible..._thing_!" Elizabeth hissed, moving towards Malfoy and his goons, not caring that she was half the size of Crabbe and Goyle, and not much shorter than Malfoy. She gripped her wand, aiming it at Malfoy. If she'd had thought at all, she would have thought about the fact it was just her against three Slytherins, two of whom were quite large. But at the moment, Elizabeth didn't really care.

"Careful, Martin," Malfoy said coolly, "Wouldn't want to get into trouble, would we?"

"Detention would be worth shutting you up," Elizabeth snapped, tightening her grip around her wand, starting to raise it, just as she felt someone grab her wrist.

It was Goyle. Elizabeth had been so focused on Malfoy, she didn't think about his two goons. Crabbe was snickering behind Malfoy while Goyle had Elizabeth's right wrist gripped in his huge hand, holding it over her head.

"Let go, you buffoon!" Elizabeth cried, yanking at her arm but there was no breaking loose of Goyle's grip. Her heart was starting to race a bit. It was just now starting to sink in that trying to take on Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle by herself was a mistake.

"What's going on?"

Elizabeth looked over in relief as Harry, Ron, and Hermione had come in the front door. They seemed to take in the scene of Elizabeth, her arm held over her head by Goyle, then Ron and Harry started forward. But Hermione was faster, her wand out and aimed at Goyle, snapping "_Flipendo_!"

Elizabeth's wrist was yanked from Goyle's grip as he stumbled backwards and Elizabeth nearly fell herself, but she stayed on her feet, gripping her own wand as Hermione turned her wand to Malfoy.

"You foul...you evil..." she hissed, "Ganging up on someone when they're alone?"

Malfoy had stumbled backwards, and Crabbe and Goyle looked to him. Elizabeth almost laughed.

"Not so brave when there's more than one, are you?" she asked.

Malfoy just glared, muttered something to Crabbe and Goyle, and then the three hurried off to the dungeons.

"What was all _that_ about?" Ron asked, though he was staring at Hermione with a look of admiration.

"Malfoy was hiding by the door," Elizabeth said, trying to calm herself down, "They were just there...laughing over everything with Hagrid. And I just...Lost it."

"You were trying to take them on by yourself?" Harry asked, dumfounded. Elizabeth felt her face flush.

"I wasn't thinking," she said meekly.

Overhead, a bell began ringing and Ron let out a curse.

"We're late for class, we need to get going," he said.

They hurried on up the stairs, where Elizabeth split off from them to head to Defense Against the Dark Arts. She rushed into the classroom, a little out of breath.

"You're late, Elizabeth," Professor Lupin said calmly, looking up from where he was collecting homework assignments.

"I'm sorry, Professor Lupin," Elizabeth said, quickly taking a seat in the back next to Justin and starting to dig out her own essay.

"This isn't a wise time to be late to class, exams are approaching," Professor Lupin said simply. Elizabeth felt her face growing warmer. Since the mishap with the Hogsmeade visit, Professor Lupin wasn't really cold or distant, but he definitely had this change to his tone, where he seemed sterner. As if he was keeping a closer eye, making sure she and her friends weren't causing more trouble.

"I won't let it happen again, sir," Elizabeth said simply.

Defense Against the Dark Arts passed normally after that, and Elizabeth kept her focus on her work. Over the past year, she'd slowly became more capable at Defense Against the Dark Arts. She still wasn't all that great at it, but it was no longer her worst subject at least. Not like Charms, which she still struggled in quite a lot.

By the end of the class, Elizabeth was in a better mood than what she was after encountering Malfoy. She was chatting with Susan—comparing notes on their latest Muggle Studies essay that was due at the end of the week—all the way through a filling lunch of chicken and pie. She was just about to ask Hannah if she'd mind giving any suggestions when she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Harry and Ron.

"Can we talk to you a moment?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, sure," Elizabeth said, gathering her things and getting up, looking to her Housemates, "I'll see you in History of Magic."

Elizabeth quickly followed Harry and Ron back out to the entrance hall.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Where's Hermione?"

"We don't know," Harry said, "She never showed up in Charms—"

"How could she not? She was right with us when we left the entrance hall," Elizabeth said.

"She wasn't there, though," Ron said, "You...You don't think Malfoy did something to her?"

"He left before we went upstairs," Elizabeth said, frowning. Had Hermione still been with Harry and Ron when Elizabeth split off to Defense Against the Dark Arts? She'd been in such a hurry, she didn't really pay attention...

"Maybe she's just up in your common room," Elizabeth said hopefully, "Or the library? I'll go check the library and you can check your common room. Let me know if you find her."

Harry and Ron nodded, heading off up the stairs. Elizabeth followed to a point until she headed towards the library instead.

There was no sign of her bushy-haired friend, however. Elizabeth made her way along aisles of books, ducking occasionally to avoid a book flying by to sort itself back onto the shelves. Still, no matter how many tables or chairs she checked, Hermione was nowhere in sight. Elizabeth couldn't help but find that strange. A library without Hermione didn't make sense. At least, not when Hermione couldn't be found anywhere else.

Elizabeth made her way up a small spiral stairway onto the second floor to double-check if Hermione was up there—it was one of their favorite places to study, overlooking the rest of the library—and heard someone call her name. She turned quickly and saw no one. Elizabeth made a face, then realized it was Harry's voice. Maybe they found Hermione.

She dug into her bag, just pulling out her little mirror when a book hit her in the back of the head on its way to a shelf. Elizabeth yelped, rubbing the back of her head as she glared after the book and held up the mirror.

"Any luck?" she asked, turning to the mirror to see Harry staring back.

"Yeah, we found Hermione," he said, "She was asleep in the common room."

"Asleep?" Elizabeth asked, "All this workload must be catching up to her."

"I'll say," Ron said from off view, then the mirror was turned to him, "Do you know what she told us? She said she _forgot_ to go to Charms! How do you forget to go to a class that you're heading towards?"

"Shh, I'm still in the library," Elizabeth said softly, ducking into an alcove between two bookshelves. She didn't want to get on Madam Pince's bad side.

"She said she's on her way to talk to Professor Flitwick about missing class," Harry said, turning the mirror back to him.

"She has to be cracking under pressure," Elizabeth whispered, "I mean, Ron's right. Missing a class you were walking to because you forgot to go?"

"She insists it was just a mistake," Ron said, "I doubt we'll get through to her."

"She's stubborn, that's for sure," Elizabeth replied with a sigh, "Anyway, I need to get to class. I'm sure you do, too."

"Yeah, we have Divination next," Harry said, "See you at dinner?"

"Sure, I haven't went off to the Gryffindor side in a while," Elizabeth said, "See you then."

Elizabeth pocketed her mirror and then headed off towards her History of Magic class.

This wasn't the end of Hermione's odd behavior for the day, however. When Elizabeth sat down with Harry and Ron at dinner—Hermione across from them—there was more news.

"I dropped Divination," Hermione said as Elizabeth fixed herself a plate.

"What?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief, "You're dropping a class? Divination? It's useful, though!"

Hermione huffed in annoyance.

"Divination is a lot of hogwash and wooly guesswork," she said, "I don't understand how you enjoy it, Elizabeth."

"Because I happen to believe in it," Elizabeth said sharply, feeling heat rise to her face, "I told you before I get feelings—"

"They had to just be coincidences," Hermione said, "I mean, you haven't really had any this year, have you?"

"Before the Quidditch match when Harry fell from his broom," Elizabeth said.

"It was storming that day. That would make anyone edgy."

"When I broke up with Tobias."

"Maybe you just knew things were starting go badly anyway," Hermione said patiently, "I mean, he was upset with you over Harry, and—"

"It wasn't that," Elizabeth snapped, but she couldn't help but wonder. She had been having doubts after all. Sirius Black broke into Hogwarts twice—one of which he'd ended up in Harry and Ron's room, and was standing over Ron with a knife. Those were drastic things. Wouldn't she have been able to 'sense' them, as they were?

The subject was dropped, however. Hermione seemed to realize she hit a sore spot with Elizabeth's ex, and seemed to think it was best not to talk about Divination anymore. So instead, silence fell over them, Harry and Ron exchanging awkward glances.

The tension was gone quickly, however, and Elizabeth was soon in the routine of working on homework with her friends in the library as they often did. Homework seemed to pile up even more. Easter holidays came but they weren't a holiday at all. Instead of classes, all time was spent studying for said classes.

At least after the holidays they had a distraction. The final Quidditch match of the season was approaching. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. The entire school hummed with tension. Elizabeth barely got any time with Harry, as he was often guarded by other Gryffindors and it made it hard to get anywhere. They were taking no chances of Slytherin sabotaging the team.

The tension was at its highest the day of the match. It was all Elizabeth and her roommates could talk about as they got ready, each pinning Gryffindor rosettes to their robes. Of course they'd all be supporting Gryffindor. No one in the school wanted to see Slytherin take home the Quidditch Cup—except for the Slytherins but Elizabeth didn't think that counted.

"Harry has that Firebolt," Susan said confidently, "There's no way they're going to lose."

"But it's not just about winning the match," Sally-Anne said, "Gryffindor has to be ahead by fifty points before Harry catches the Snitch, or else Slytherin loses, but still wins the Cup. That's a lot of pressure."

"And this is why I love Quidditch, but will never play," Elizabeth said, tucking back her hair behind her ear, "I am horrible under pressure."

They made their way upstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. Elizabeth noticed Harry was already there with the team, so she split off from her friends and went over to the Gryffindor table, wishing her friend luck before heading back to her own breakfast.

The weather couldn't be more perfect for Quidditch. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, not even so much as a breeze. It was drastically different from the first match, where Gryffindor had played against Elizabeth's own House, the Hufflepuffs. Elizabeth made her way up the stands with the rest of the Hufflepuffs, managing their way to the front of the stands, where Justin and Rodger had saved seats. Elizabeth grinned a little. They knew about Elizabeth's claustrophobia so always tried to make sure she had a seat towards the front, so she didn't feel so closed in. She had to admit, it did give her the perk of getting some of the best views of the games.

It wasn't long afterward before the Gryffindor team came out of the locker room. Elizabeth joined into the screaming and cheering with most of the school. Only one small section wasn't cheering for the Gryffindors—a small section of green on one end of the stands.

Instantly, Elizabeth knew this match would be one of the most intense she'd seen at Hogwarts. It wasn't like any professional match, but Elizabeth had to admit, it came close. Within the first few minutes, Gryffindor had scored, and a double-foul was called when a Slytherin nearly knocked a Gryffindor Chaser from her broom and then Fred retaliated by giving the Slytherin a bloody nose with his Beater's bat.

One of the Gryffindor Chasers—Elizabeth wasn't sure her name. Alice? Amanda?—lined up for a shot and the crowd fell silent. Elizabeth gripped the edge of the stands in front of her, leaning against the railing as she stared, holding her breath in anticipation...

"SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Elizabeth screamed and cheered with the rest of the crowd, hopping in place. Gryffindor was keeping the lead! Now Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Captain, just needed to keep the Slytherin penalty from going in...

And he did! Elizabeth cheered, but she couldn't even hear her own voice over the roar of the crowd.

The match only got more intense from there. It was definitely one of the most violent games Elizabeth had seen at Hogwarts. Gryffindors were dominating in scoring—soon they were leading by forty points—though a lot of them came from penalties. More than once, Slytherins would take cheap shots at the Gryffindors—including the Beaters ganging up and sending both Bludgers at Oliver Wood.

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" Madam Hooch screamed over the roars of "FOUL!" among the crowds.

Gryffindor scored the penalty shot. They were now leading by fifty points, and soon by sixty, the score sitting at seventy-ten.

Elizabeth's gaze went to Harry circling above. Gryffindor was up by sixty. If Harry caught the Snitch, Gryffindor would win the Cup. Elizabeth was leaned against the railing, gripping to it so tightly her hands hurt. Did he know where the Snitch was yet?

He apparently had. Harry started to shoot upward. Elizabeth cheered him on.

Then Malfoy grabbed hold of Harry's broom and pulled him to a near stop.

"YOU CHEATING LITTLE GIT!" Susan screamed, her face red with rage, "SLIMY, CHEATING LITTLE SLIMEBALL!"

"Penalty!" Madam Hooch's voice was shrill, "Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!"

Elizabeth was fuming herself. She wanted nothing more than to get a hold of Malfoy herself. Maybe hit him with a good Leg-Locker Curse...She'd done it before. But she knew it'd just cause trouble. Especially if she did it during the middle of the Quidditch match.

Unfortunately, the Chaser didn't score the penalty. Soon after, Slytherin scored. Seventy-twenty. Gryffindor was still fifty points up. If Harry just caught the Snitch...

Elizabeth noticed Harry was keeping closer to Malfoy now, probably wanting to make sure he didn't get to the Snitch. Though shortly after, Harry went streaking off across the field. Elizabeth soon saw why. All of the Slytherin team—save Malfoy—were going after one of the Gryffindor Chasers—Angelia—who was racing for the Slytherin goals. Harry went in a dive straight through them, clearing the way for Angelia to score.

"SIXTY POINTS UP!" Elizabeth screamed, "COME ON, GRYFFINDOR!"

Elizabeth froze seconds later. Malfoy had gone into a dive. Harry seemed to notice, because he went diving after him.

"GO, HARRY, GO!" Elizabeth leaned more against the railing, to the point if she didn't have such a deathgrip on it she'd probably have tumbled over, "YOU CAN DO IT! YOU'RE ON A FIREBOLT!"

Superior broom—and skill—were winning. Harry was gaining on Malfoy. He was even with him. He was pulling ahead...

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lee Jordan screamed so loudly he probably didn't even need the megaphone as Harry rose from his dive, his hand raised, gripping the Snitch, "TWO-HUNDRED-THIRTY TO TWENTY! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"

The screams and cheers were deafening. Elizabeth hugged Susan next to her, both of them bouncing in place, soon joined by their other housemates.

"SLYTHERIN LOST!" Lewis screamed nearby, laughing brightly, "GRYFFINDOR BEAT THE PANTS OFF THEM!"

Elizabeth laughed, grinning so much her face hurt. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup. The cheer around the school was infectious. There was no way anything could ruin this day.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_**Chapter Fifteen:**_

Even the security measures around the castle couldn't take down the mood around Hogwarts the next week. With Gryffindor victorious over Slytherin in an amazing Quidditch match, it was all students talked about, even while studying for impending exams. Elizabeth was grateful for this. It made sitting in the library or common room much easier, when the weather outside taunted them with longing to lounge in the shade of trees or walk along the lake.

Elizabeth didn't see much of Lewis and Cedric through the year, between Quidditch practice and their O.W.L. year, now she saw them all the time in the library. She just never talked to them, as they were absorbed in their work, usually accompanied by Cedric's girlfriend, Cho even though she was a fourth year.

Times like that, watching the two of them, were rare moments that gave Elizabeth a sharp pang of hurt over how things turned out with Tobias. She could have been sitting with him in the common room, getting his tutoring over subjects she was struggling in...

She didn't want to go back to dating Tobias. She knew things turned out badly and it'd only be worse if they tried to date again. It didn't mean she didn't miss it sometimes, though.

Especially since she couldn't really rely on Hermione for help. The girl was incredibly short-tempered lately. Harry, Ron, and Elizabeth were careful not to say anything that could set her off. Which meant they tried not to talk to her at all if they could help it.

The day before their exams started, however, there came a time where they had to risk talking to Hermione. Elizabeth was just returning to their table in the library after chasing down a book that decided to sort itself back to the shelves just as Elizabeth was reaching to open it, when Ron was pulling over a piece of parchment that fell off Hermione's pile while she was frantically searching for something.

"Er—are you sure you've copied down these times right?" Ron asked cautiously. Elizabeth sat next to him and saw Hermione had her time table where she was taking two different exams at once, on several different occasions.

"What?" Hermione snatched the parchment from Ron, then shoved it in her bag, "Yes, of course I have."

"How are you going to be taking two exams at the same time?" Elizabeth asked.

"Do any of you know where my copy of _Numerology and Gramatica_ is?" Hermione was obviously not going to explain her exam schedule.

"It's got to be around here somewhere," Elizabeth replied with a sigh, looking to Harry and Ron.

There was a tapping on the window near them and Elizabeth looked up to see Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl. Harry noticed her as well and sneaked over to the window, edging it open enough to get the letter before returning to the table.

"It's from Hagrid," Harry said as he opened the letter and scanned over it, "Buckbeak's appeal—it's set for the sixth."

"That's the day we finish our exams," Hermione said offhandedly, still hunting in vain for her Arithmancy book.

"And they're coming here to do it," Harry said, "Someone from the Ministry of Magic and—and an executioner."

Elizabeth balked as Hermione looked up in shock.

"They're bringing the executioner to the appeal?" Hermione asked, "But that sounds as though they've already decided!"

"And they're doing it _here_?" Elizabeth squeaked, "On _school grounds_?"

"They can't!" Ron said loudly enough that he received a stern look from Madam Pince, and he quickly lowered his voice, "I've spent _ages_ reading up on stuff for Hagrid; they can't just ignore it all!"

"Malfoy," Elizabeth hissed, "You know this is his fault. Him and his father. Anything to cause trouble. I just wish we could visit Hagrid..."

"We wouldn't be able to until the appeal," Hermione said, "Not with exams, and with the security...Ah!"

She'd finally found her book. Immediately, she disappeared behind it, and Elizabeth knew that Hermione would be lost to the conversation for now on.

"Even then," Harry whispered, leaning away from Hermione to not interrupt her, "My Cloak is still hidden in that passageway...If Snape catches me anywhere near there..."

"I doubt he'd care if I went," Elizabeth said, "I can go get it."

"Really?" Harry asked, and Elizabeth nodded.

"We've got no chance of visiting Hagrid with exams coming," she said, "But we have to visit him after the appeal. There's no way we can leave him alone. Especially since we all know it doesn't matter how innocent anyone is. Malfoy is going to make sure things don't go well."

"You're a cheery girl, you know that?" Ron rolled his eyes. Elizabeth glared at him.

"How do you get into that passage, Harry?" Elizabeth turned back to him, "Where is it?"

"Behind the statue of that one-eyed witch," Harry said, "Just tap the hump and say '_Dissendium'_."

Elizabeth nodded, getting up and checking her watch.

"It's almost curfew, actually," she said, "I'll grab it on my way down to the common room and get it back to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good," Harry said.

It didn't take long for Elizabeth to find the statue, and she did as Harry instructed to open the passage. Elizabeth slipped inside, quickly finding the silvery cloak laying on the ground nearby. She picked it up and folded it the best she should before hiding it in her bag and slipping back out.

And turned around to see her brother.

"Lewis!" Elizabeth squeaked, feeling her face burn, "Wh...Weren't you at the library?"

"It's nearly curfew, Cedric is walking Cho back to the Ravenclaw tower and I was heading back to our common room myself. What were you doing hiding behind this statue?"

Relief went through Elizabeth. It seemed Lewis hadn't noticed it was a secret passage...

"I..." Elizabeth glanced down at her bag, her hand still fiddling with the cover, "My Magpies pin fell off and rolled away. I was seeing if it ended up behind the statue, and it did. That's all."

Lewis gave Elizabeth a look as if he didn't quite believe her. Luckily, however, he just sighed. Maybe it was he was too tired from studying. But Elizabeth wasn't about to argue.

"Let's just get back to the common room," he said, starting off. Elizabeth followed behind, grateful for not having her brother thinking she was up to trouble again. She didn't need Lewis finding out about the Invisibility Cloak in her bag...

**xxxxx**

Elizabeth always dreaded exam week. This year was no different. She was fairly sure she'd done well in Divination—She felt she saw enough in the swirling mist of her crystal ball to impress Professor Trelawney—and in Transfiguration. She was very sure her tea pot became a more than passable turtle.

Charms, however, went worse. She was barely able to give her partner much of a slight giggle. Not exactly the best when doing Cheering Charms. Defense Against the Dark Arts was slightly better. They had to go through an obstacle course, coming up against various creatures they'd learned about over the year. Elizabeth did well with the grindylow and Red Caps, unfortunately, however, she got herself hopelessly turned around and lost in a marsh with the hinkypunk and had to be rescued by Professor Lupin.

"It's all right, you did wonderfully, Elizabeth," he told her as he led her out of the maze, giving her a wet cloth to wipe the mud off her hands and face.

Potions went fine, even though Elizabeth knew she stumbled a little with her Confusing Concoction. It ended up a shade of lime instead of a dark green. Elizabeth prayed she wouldn't lose too many points for that.

Astronomy was held the night before her last exam, which meant when that Thursday came and she only had two left, Elizabeth was exhausted and felt like her brain was mush. And just her luck, that last day was History of Magic and Muggle Studies. The classes that involved the most focus and lots of writing.

Elizabeth sat through History of Magic, struggling hard to remember all the facts that had been crammed into her head on sleepy days. History of Magic was always the worst class to concentrate in. Trying to remember all you learned in said class, when warm weather was making you far too comfortable, and acting on not much sleep after a week of exams and one in the middle of the night? It was nearly impossible.

Elizabeth left History of Magic, yawning as were her fellow Hufflepuffs, all of them eager for a good lunch to refuel. Most of them were done with exams, but Elizabeth, Susan, and Ernie had their Muggle Studies exam after lunch.

"These exams are getting harder every year," Rodger said, stretching his arms over his head.

"I'm already dreading our O.W.L.s," Hannah said slowly.

"Lewis has been stressed a lot," Elizabeth agreed, "But we have another two years. I'm just glad this year is nearly over."

They reached the top of the marble staircase, Elizabeth noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione coming in from outside, all three looking quite angry—but Ron was fuming. Elizabeth excused herself and hurried down to meet them.

"Why'd you stop me?" Ron was asking as Elizabeth got closer, "Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"

"Ron, your dad works for the Ministry, you can't go saying things like that to his boss!" Hermione said, "As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak..."

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked, "The committee is here already?"

"With Minister Fudge of all people," Harry said shortly, "And the executioner."

"They're as good as saying they don't care," Elizabeth hissed, gripping her hands into fists as they started for the Great Hall for lunch.

While most of the school was excited for exams ending, Elizabeth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were subdued and quiet. They barely ate lunch, all too worried about Hagrid and the appeal. Once lunch was over, Ron and Harry headed off for their Divination exam while Hermione and Elizabeth made their way to Muggle Studies.

"Do you think Hagrid is okay out there?" Elizabeth asked.

"I hope so," Hermione said, "But it doesn't look food for Buckbeak..."

"I know..."

It was hard to concentrate on Muggle Studies—which involved questions such as explaining in no less than a hundred words the difference in a toaster and a microwave—with the thought of Hagrid and the appeal going around in Elizabeth's head.

She left the exam over an hour later, unsure how she did despite the fact Muggle Studies was probably her favorite subject. Still, she was very relieved all the exams were over as she and Hermione made their way to an empty study hall they often hung out in with Harry and Ron on rainy days and they weren't staying in the library.

Ron was already there, but Harry wasn't. Elizabeth and Hermione came over, sitting at one of the windows overlooking the lake.

"Harry still in the Divination exam?" Elizabeth asked, remembering that Professor Trelawney did each student's exam separately and alone.

"Yeah, he was going in as I left," Ron said, "About fifteen minutes ago? Maybe twenty? He should be here soon."

Elizabeth nodded, looking out over the grounds. She couldn't explain why, but an uneasy filling was starting to build on her. It hadn't been there this morning. Or at least, if it was, she'd been too exhausted to notice. But now...Something was feeling...off. And she couldn't quite place her finger on why. Just that she was suddenly feeling restless.

Then, as she stared over the lake where the giant squid was visible just under the surface, it dawned on her. It was a feeling she'd had before, but it'd been so long...It was that sickening, something-bad-will-happen feeling she'd had often before.

But she hadn't had it since she woke up like usual...It was just starting to building up. Slowly, so she didn't get hit fast with it...

Something was going to happen. But was it something Elizabeth already knew about? What if this was just about Buckbeak? She already knew it was coming, so maybe that's why it wasn't like before.

One of the school owls suddenly appeared at the glass and Elizabeth yelped, jerked from her thoughts and jumping backwards.

"What's with the owl?" Ron asked, coming over and opening the window, getting the letter, "Oh, it's from Hagrid..."

"It must be about the appeal," Hermione said, "Open it."

Ron nodded, a grim look on his face as he opened the letter and held it out for all of them to read:

_Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it._

_Hagrid_

"Poor Buckbeak..." Hermione whispered, her hand over her mouth.

The door opened and Elizabeth looked up to see Harry hurrying over, a look on his face that told Elizabeth something happened. He started to say something about Professor Trelawney, but cut off when he seemed to notice something was going on.

"Buckbeak lost," Ron said, holding up the letter, "Hagrid's just sent this."

Harry took the paper and read it, then immediately looked at the others.

"We've got to go," he said, "He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"

"We're not allowed out after sunset," Elizabeth said weakly, trying to ignore the bubbling sick feeling in her stomach, "Curfew, the security measures..."

"Then it's a good thing we have the Invisibility Cloak back," Harry said.

* * *

**A/N:** I finally have Year of Secrets completely written, with a total of twenty-two chapters. Thus, I will move my updates to Monday-Wednesday-Fridays. Hope you all enjoy!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_**Chapter Sixteen:**_

No one objected to the plan, not even Hermione. Though as they left the study hall room to head to dinner, Elizabeth took Harry by the arm and held him back.

"Something wrong?" she asked, "You looked like you were going to say something, when you came in."

Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron, then turned back to Elizabeth.

"I think we should be more worried about Hagrid," he said.

"Something happened, though," Elizabeth said, "Harry, I've been getting these odd feelings all afternoon..._those_ type of feelings. What if it's related?"

Harry didn't look reassured about that. He frowned, and looked like he might say something, but Ron had turned to them.

"Are you two coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, we'll catch up, I want to drop off my bag and Harry has to get his Cloak," Elizabeth called back. Ron nodded and he and Hermione left, while Elizabeth turned back to Harry. "Okay, what's wrong? What happened?"

Harry sighed, looking awkward.

"I...I think Professor Trelawney made an actual prediction, a real one," he said, "When my exam was ending...It was like she went into this trance or something, and...Well, she said something about Voldemort returning—"

"What?" Elizabeth squeaked, feeling sick, "You-Know-Who? Returning?"

"Not _directly_," Harry said slowly, "She said that it was his servant...That he was going to break free and go in search of Voldemort."

Elizabeth winced at the name, but she stared at Harry, the sickening feeling in her stomach growing. Was this what she was feeling anxious about?

"Do...Do you think this has to do with Sirius Black?" she asked.

"Who else would it be about?" Harry asked, "Maybe he's going to give up on me? Decide the dementors are too much trouble and he's going to go back to Voldemort instead?"

Again, Elizabeth winced a little at the name, but she kept watching Harry. She might be feeling faint, might be terrified, but she wasn't going to argue. She knew Harry just needed someone to talk to, without being judged. And she was the one person in their group of friends who believed in Divination. Hermione scoffed, and Ron was starting to follow suit. Elizabeth had her instincts that told her it was more than just nonsense. She took it seriously when Harry asked questions about it.

"Or it could mean he's planning something big tonight," Elizabeth said, "We're going to have to be really careful, Harry. There's no way I'm saying we don't go to Hagrid's. But we have to be careful as we do, and make sure we don't even let a foot come out from under the Invisibility Cloak. I mean, Black has shown he can get into these grounds easily...He even got into your room. We can't give him any chance to get to you tonight."

Harry nodded.

"We'll stay under the cloak," he said, "Straight down to Hagrid's and straight back. No detours."

"Good," Elizabeth said, feeling a bit relieved, though the twisting, sickening feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away, "You better go get your Invisibility Cloak. I'll meet you all in that little chamber off the entrance after dinner."

Harry nodded, heading off up the stairs and Elizabeth went off to the common room to drop off her bag before she went back to the Great Hall for dinner.

Everyone was chatting happily, glad exams were done and they had a week to relax and do nothing. Elizabeth, however, was distracted. She forced herself to eat, mainly because she barely ate any breakfast or lunch. After eating, she made as if she were heading to bed early, but then sneaked her way back to the side chamber, where Harry, Ron and Hermione soon joined.

"For once I didn't run into Lewis," Elizabeth sighed in relief, "I think he's too relieved to be through his O.W.L.s to worry about what I'm up to."

"Good thing," Ron said, "Last thing we need is a nosy brother keeping us from visiting Hagrid."

"Good thing Percy's distracted as well, then," Elizabeth said.

They fell quiet after that, making sure they weren't spotted until they were sure everyone had left the Great Hall to various common rooms. Occasionally, Elizabeth would glance at Harry, wondering if he was thinking about that prediction of Professor Trelawney's. She knew she kept thinking about it, and the feeling of dread that had been slowly building in her...Once, Harry glanced over at Elizabeth and their eyes met, but at the same time, Hermione had spoken up.

"Okay, no one's there," she said from where she was looking out the door.

They all grouped up under the Invisibility Cloak, trying to keep close together so no one could be seen accidentally. Elizabeth's mind kept going over what Harry had told her, and her odd feelings. She kept glancing around the grounds as they made their way to Hagrid's, as if she could see Sirius Black skulking around in the shadows.

It didn't take them long to reach Hagrid's hut, where Harry knocked on the door, carful to keep them under the cloak still. Hagrid opened the door after a moment, looking confused and pale.

"It's us," Harry said, "We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid said quietly, stepping aside for them to come in and closing the door behind them. Harry pulled the cloak off of them and Elizabeth tucked some of her hair back as she looked to Hagrid. He was obviously in a bad way. He wasn't crying like last time. Instead, he looked lost, as if he'd given up hope and was now just waiting for the storm to pass. Elizabeth couldn't help but think this was worse.

"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"I—I took him outside," Hagrid said shakily, trying to make some tea but spilling it across his table, "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'—an' smell fresh air—before..."

Hagrid trailed off, dropping the jug he was holding and shattering it on the floor, milk spilling all over his feet.

"I'll do that, Hagrid," Hermione said, hurrying over to clean up and Hagrid sunk into a chair. Elizabeth went over, putting a hand on his arm.

"There's got to be something we can do, Hagrid," Elizabeth said, "To stop this. We could go to Dumbledore..."

"He's tried," Hagrid said, "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared...Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like...threatened 'em, I expect...an' the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's...but it'll be quick an' clean...an' I'll be beside him..."

"So will we—" Elizabeth started, but Hagrid shook his head quickly.

"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle," he said simply, "I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway...If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, yeh'll be in big trouble."

Elizabeth glanced at Harry, just as he looked towards her. It was clear they were both thinking about their conversation earlier. Sirius Black could easily be waiting in the dark...If they stayed, it could be the opportunity to attack...

"Ron!" Hermione cried nearby, "I—I don't believe it—it's _Scabbers_!"

"What're you talking about?" Ron asked and Elizabeth spun to see Hermione was standing at Hagrid's cabinet, a jug in her hands. She came over to the table and turned the jug over and out came a very familiar rat, who immediately tried to get back to the jug.

"Scabbers!" Ron said, hurrying forward and scooping up the rat, "What are you doing here?"

"Is it really him?" Elizabeth asked, coming over, looking the rat over. He was obviously the same rat, with the same missing toe on one of his front paws, though he was obviously a lot worse for wear than the last time Elizabeth had seen him and he seemed determined to get out of Ron's grip.

"It's okay, Scabbers!" Ron said, "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

"I wonder what's happened, he seems so scared," Elizabeth said softly, wanting to reach out and help calm the rat, but he was struggling far too much in Ron's hands, "I bet when we get him to the castle and he has a nice meal he'll settle down."

"They're comin'..." Hagrid said suddenly, panic in his voice.

Elizabeth's head shot up and her heart started pounding. At the same time, a sharp gab of dread built up even stronger in Elizabeth's stomach. Whatever was happening, it was bad. And it was coming fast.

'_Buckbeak's execution,'_ Elizabeth thought weakly. That's what her feelings of dread had been about...

"Yeh gotta go," Hagrid said quickly, trembling noticeably, "They mustn' find yeh here...Go now..."

Ron pushed Scabbers into his pocket as Hermione grabbed the cloak. Elizabeth's heart was racing as she looked to the window, seeing a group of people coming. She easily recognized Dumbledore. And as Harry had said earlier, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was there. As well as an elder man, and a man carrying a large axe.

"I'll let yeh out the back way," Hagrid said, moving to the back door and opening it.

Elizabeth and the others hurried out into the garden, immediately finding themselves facing Buckbeak tied to a tree nearby. Elizabeth swallowed and found herself unable to look away, realizing this would be the last time she see him alive...

"It's okay, Beaky," Hagrid said, since Buckbeak was pawing at the ground and looking towards Hagrid, then Hagrid turned to the others, "Go on. Get goin'."

The others didn't move, and Elizabeth felt herself getting jumpy, looking back to the woods nearby. They were standing here out in the open. She couldn't help but think about what Harry told her earlier...

"Hagrid, we can't—" Hermione said slowly.

"We'll tell them what really happened," Ron added.

"They can't kill him—"

"Go!" Hagrid snapped, "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

"Hagrid's right, we have to go," Elizabeth said weakly, looking to Harry.

The others gave in. Hermione threw the cloak around the four of them and they grouped tighter together to stay completely hidden.

"Go quick," Hagrid added, "Don't listen."

"Let's go," Elizabeth said weakly, "I...I don't want to be here. I don't want to see this..."

They started around Hagrid's hut slowly, as the grounds around them began to glow red in the setting sun. They heard Hagrid's front door open, then shut behind them and Elizabeth tried to quicken her pace the best she could, though they nearly lost the cloak as Ron suddenly stopped.

"Oh, please, Ron, I can't take this," Hermione begged.

"It's Scabbers," Ron said, struggling with the pocket of his robes, "He won't—stay put—"

Elizabeth's heart was pounding harder than ever. That dread was building up even more...It was coming quickly...She was beginning to shake as she reached to Ron, trying to help him with Scabbers.

"Maybe one of us can hold him? Until we get into the castle," she said, her voice shaking.

"Scabbers, it's me you idiot, it's Ron," Ron was saying, pulling Scabbers from his pocket and holding him tightly in his hands.

"We need to get moving," Elizabeth's voice squeaked slightly.

"They're going to do it!" Hermione said weakly, "Let's move!"

"Okay," Ron sighed, "Scabbers, stay _put_."

Though as they moved forward again, Scabbers didn't want to stay put. He kept squealing loudly and fighting to get out of Ron's hands. Elizabeth kept looking around, her heart racing. What if the people at Hagrid's hut heard?

"I can't hold him," Ron was getting frustrated, "Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us—"

"Come on, we have to get moving!" Elizabeth squeaked. They could hear the men down at Hagrid's hut more clearly now. They were outside...Then suddenly, the voices went quiet...Elizabeth froze. They were too late to get away.

Something metal rushed through the air in the distance, followed by a sickening thud. Elizabeth let out a sob, clamping a hand over her mouth. There was no doubting it. Buckbeak was dead.

Elizabeth's eyes stung with tears. Buckbeak was gone. She didn't really know the animal, but still. He had been Hagrid's pet...

Hagrid. He was crying so loud now that they could hear him from where they were frozen under their cloak. That just made everything worse. Harry even started to head back, but Hermione and Ron grabbed him by the arms.

"We can't," Ron whispered, his face pale, "He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him..."

"How—could—they?" Hermione managed, "How _could_ they?"

"Th-they're corrupt," Elizabeth's voice was shaking and weak, and she felt sick still, in fact, the twisting in her stomach was getting worse but she was sure it was just because of what they just heard, "We...We need to get back to the castle..."

The sky was darkening more around them as they went through the grounds, and Elizabeth tried to steady her breathing while, oddly, the feeling of dread was beginning to get worse. Buckbeak was gone...Why was she still feeling like something was coming?

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron whispered, struggling with the rat, "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still—ouch! He bit me!"

"Do you think he still recognizes you?" Elizabeth asked, trying to ignore the sickening feeling in her stomach, "He is really old..."

Harry tensed a little next to Elizabeth and she turned to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes nearby. Elizabeth tensed herself, her breath catching in her throat.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered as the familiar orange tabby came into view, "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

"Scabbers—NO!"

The rat had finally gotten his freedom and jumped to the ground. Instantly, Crookshanks took off after him. Ron, seeming determined not to lose Scabbers a second time, ducked out from under the cloak and ran after them.

They didn't have a choice. They couldn't let Ron get caught out of bounds, so the three of them ducked out from under the Invisibility Cloak and hurried after Ron. Ron was yelling at Crookshanks up ahead, trying to get him away from Scabbers. Elizabeth's heart was pounding harder with every step. Ron shouting like this was going to attract attention...

"Get away from him—get away—Scabbers, come _here_!"

Ron threw himself forward, grabbing at something on the ground and pulling it closer, shoving it in his pocket as Crookshanks ran towards him. Elizabeth stumbled to a stop next to him at the same time as Hermione and Harry. Hermione still had the Invisibility Cloak around her shoulders, so that only her head was visible, floating in midair.

Elizabeth rushed forward, pulling Crookshanks away from Ron. The cat yowled and squirmed, but Elizabeth tried to keep a hard hold on him.

"Dumbledore—the Minister..." Hermione was panting behind them, "They'll be coming back out in a minute—"

There was a loud noise nearby and Elizabeth spun around—then froze. Moving towards them was a large, black dog with pale eyes...

'_A grim,'_ Elizabeth thought in wild panic.

The large dog bound towards them, plowing into Harry and knocking him to the ground.

"_Harry_!" Elizabeth cried, running forward to help, though it didn't matter. The dog had overestimated its power, apparently, and the second Harry hit the ground, the dog went tumbling away. Elizabeth stumbled to a stop next to Harry and grabbed his arm to help him to his feet, both struggling to catch their breaths as the dog skidded to a stop and spun back towards them.

The dog jumped towards them again. Elizabeth didn't think. She just pushed Harry to the side, then cried in pain as she felt several sharp objects sinking into her forearm. Elizabeth was pulled off balance and it only took a second to realize what it was. The dog had its long mouth around her arm in a hard, firm grip.

"Let go!" Elizabeth shrieked, trying to pull her arm free and get to her feet, but the dog was much stronger. She couldn't get a good footing to stand back up. Her heart was pounding even harder in her chest.

Ron and Harry were on either side of her, both trying to grab at the dog. Elizabeth felt a small bit of relief, but it was immediately lost as something long and huge swung just over her head and knocked them away.

Elizabeth was on her own. She swung her free arm, hitting at the dog with her free hand to try and get free. Nothing worked. The dog continued to drag her forward towards the trunk of a large tree. One whose branches were moving far too much and far too erratic to be the wind...

If she wasn't so panicked, she'd have known where they were. Instead, she was fighting too hard against the dog, failing in attempts to get free. The dog continued to drag her to the tree, soon reaching a large enough gap in the roots to pull through.

The thought of being dragged into an underground space, most likely a small one, just made Elizabeth's panic go higher. She hated feeling trapped. And she hated small spaces. And she was about to end up experiencing both at the same time.

As she was pulled down into the hole, Elizabeth reached out with her free hand and gripped onto some exposed roots, wrapping her fingers as tight as she could and pulled. I felt like her arms were going to be yanked from their sockets. The dog was pulling hard on one side, while she was pulling with all her strength in the other direction, her gaze locked on the light coming through the hole. She dug her heels into the dirt, pulling herself into a squatting position. She could feel the dog's teeth starting to rip at her skin, but she was closer to pulling herself loose...Just a little more...

Then, the dirt around the roots that were her hold started to fall loose. Her one thing helping her in her plight against the dog failed. Elizabeth shrieked, losing balance and falling backwards as the dog yanked her back. Her head collided with something hard. Her vision swarmed. Things went black...

The next thing Elizabeth was aware of, she was laying on her side. Her left arm was throbbing in pain. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her hair was in her face, and her glasses were missing so most everything was a blur. Elizabeth slowly sat up, bracing herself with her right arm and as her hair fell from her face, she noticed her glasses on the floor next to her. She reached out and grabbed them, pushing them on, letting the world come into focus around her. At least, as well as they could since one of the lenses was cracked badly, leaving lines through part of her vision. She looked down at her left arm and winced. Long gashes went along her forearm on both sides and she was bleeding. It was something that could be healed easily, but it still wasn't good to look at.

Suddenly, Elizabeth remembered she'd been just moments ago was being dragged by a large black dog. She looked up quickly, glancing around for any sign. Somehow, she was alone. Sitting in an old, dust-filled bedroom, a moth-eaten blanket and mattress on a bed was next to her.

No, she wasn't alone. Crookshanks was there, curled up on the bed. As Elizabeth pushed herself to her feet, the cat looked up at her and began purring. What was Crookshanks doing here?

"Good. You're awake," a low, scratchy voice said nearby.

Elizabeth spun around. Someone was moving in the shadows nearby. Immediately, she reached for her wand in her pocket, but it was gone. Panicking, Elizabeth looked around to see if it'd fallen to the ground, but it was nowhere in sight. And there was nothing she could use to defend herself...

She ran for the door. Unfortunately, the man nearby was faster and reached it first, aiming a wand at Elizabeth. _Her_ wand. Elizabeth swallowed hard and looked up—then gasped.

There was no mistaking the man in front of her, even though she'd only seen him by pictures a few times in the _Daily Prophet_.

Sirius Black.

He looked even wilder in person. His long hair tangled and falling around his face. His face shallow and pale. His eyes dark and focused on Elizabeth, her wand tight in his hand and aimed at her.

Elizabeth stumbled backwards, her mind going to her conversation with Harry. Him telling her about Professor Trelawney's prediction. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had a supporter who would be returning to him...They talked about how maybe Black would try to make a move on Harry...Elizabeth had thought her feelings of dread had been about Buckbeak, but now she knew she was wrong.

They were about Black going after Harry. It was going to happen tonight. Now. And Elizabeth was the bait.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_**Chapter Seventeen:**_

"Y-you won't get away with this," Elizabeth's voice was high, squeaking slightly. She straightened herself up, trying to ignore how she was trembling, or the fact she was standing in a room, by herself, with a mass murderer.

"Your friends should be here soon," Black said, "I'm sure of it."

Elizabeth felt a surge of anger and fear at the thought of anything happening to any of her friends. She moved forward again, but Black aimed the stolen wand at her face.

"I don't want to hurt you."

That threw Elizabeth off and she just stared at Black. He didn't want to hurt her? He killed twelve muggles to get to one person, who was supposed to have been one of his friends. He handed over two other of his friends to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Left them to die, and their one-year-old son. He'd spent this last year on the run from Azkaban and dementors, trying to get to Harry again...He now had Elizabeth here, and was sure Harry would come...

So why didn't he just kill her now? He was going to anyway, wasn't he? So why didn't he? Why did he just stand there, armed while she wasn't, and say he didn't want to hurt her? Something wasn't right about this...

"I...I'll yell..." Elizabeth said shakily, "When they get here...I'll warn them away."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Black said simply, "I've waited too long. I won't have this ruined."

"I won't let you kill Harry!"

"You've got it wrong, girl," Black said lowly, "It's not him I want to kill."

Elizabeth froze, her eyes widening. This had to be a trick...Black was sent to Azkaban for handing over the Potters, for murdering thirteen people single-handedly...He'd escaped Azkaban to go after Harry. This was a trick.

Black was suddenly thrown forward to the ground. It only took a second for Elizabeth to realize that it was Harry and Ron, tackling Black from behind. Hermione came rushing into the room after them and went straight to Elizabeth as the boys struggled to pin Black.

"Are you okay?" she asked, "Who's that?"

Elizabeth took the opportunity to get her wand that'd rolled from Black's grip, looking to Harry and Ron, who each had one of Black's arms pinned to the ground.

"That's Sirius Black," she said weakly.

"What?" Harry asked, looking up at Elizabeth, then back down to the man he was pinning down, "What happened to the dog?"

"I...I don't know," Elizabeth said, "I blacked out...I woke up here, the dog was gone, and I was with Black..." Elizabeth stared at the man struggling to get out of Harry and Ron's grip. "_You're_ the dog that attacked us?"

"Clever girl," Black said, "Now if you two would get off, I'd explain myself."

"Don't count on it," Harry growled, "You killed my parents."

"I don't deny it," Black responded, "But if you knew the whole story—"

"The whole story?" Harry snapped. He pushed himself to his feet, pulling out his wand and aiming it at Black, "Get out of the way, Ron."

Ron scrambled to his feet quickly and backed away. Black pushed himself up to a sitting position, but with four wands aimed at him, he didn't get up to his feet.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he asked, staring at the boy.

Elizabeth looked to her friend, seeing the look on his face. She'd never seen that look before...There was almost a cold fury, his gaze hard and narrowed, his wand aimed at Black's chest...

"You sold my parents to Voldemort," he said furiously—Elizabeth winced both at the tone and the name.

"You've got to listen to me," Black said quickly, "You'll regret it if you don't. You don't understand."

"I understand a lot better than you think," Harry said. Despite his fury, Elizabeth could tell his voice was shaking, even if his hand wasn't, "You never heard her, did you? My mum...trying to stop Voldemort killing me...and you did that...you did it..."

Something orange shot past them, landing on Black's chest. It was Crookshanks, who turned and looked up at Harry with his squat face.

Black tried to push the cat away, but Crookshanks wouldn't budge. Hermione gave a sob nearby and Elizabeth couldn't begin to imagine what was going through her friend's mind. Her pet was there, trying to protect a man who wanted to kill her friend...

Elizabeth looked to Harry, who was staring at Black and Crookshanks as if frozen. The feeling of dread in Elizabeth's stomach was growing. Harry wasn't seriously going to attack, was he? She could understand how he felt...If she ever ran into the man who had killed her father...But standing there in that room, with Crookshanks blocking the way...

She also thought about when she first woke up. She'd been unconscious up here, completely defenseless...Black could have killed her at any moment. Even after she had woke up. But he hadn't. He'd said Harry wasn't who he was after...Now he wanted to explain something to Harry...

But what if it was all a trick?

'_What if it's not?'_ Elizabeth asked herself. There couldn't be harm finding out...After all, they were the ones armed...

"Harry..." Elizabeth said slowly, stepping forward and putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. He tensed under her touch and glanced at Elizabeth from the corner of his eye, but looked back to Black quickly.

She didn't get a chance to say anything else. They could hear footsteps echoing downstairs. Someone was coming...

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed, "WE'RE UP HERE—SIRIUS BLACK—_QUICK_!"

Black straightened up more and Crookshanks jumped away. Harry raised his wand slightly. Elizabeth felt as if her heart had stopped. He wasn't really going to attack, was he? Her grip tightened on Harry's shoulder.

The door behind Harry and Ron flew open. To Elizabeth's surprise, it was Professor Lupin standing there. He took a look around the room, then to Black, and raised his wand.

With a shout of "_Expelliarmus_!", Elizabeth felt her wand fly from her hand—as did Harry, Ron, and Hermione's. Lupin caught all the wands in his free hand and Elizabeth just stood there, dumbfounded. Why was Lupin attacking _them_?

"Where is he, Sirius?" Lupin asked, looking down to the man on the floor.

'_Where is who?'_ Elizabeth thought, looking from Lupin to Black, who pointed towards Ron. Elizabeth looked up to Ron then and he looked completely confused. Elizabeth couldn't blame him. What could Black want with Ron?

"But then..." Lupin glanced at Ron, then back to Black, "...why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless..." Lupin cut himself off, his eyes widening, "Unless _he_ was the one...unless you switched...without telling me?"

Slowly, Black nodded, not looking away from Lupin. Before anyone could say anything, Lupin moved forward, helping Black to his feet and hugging him tightly.

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock, staring at the scene in front of her. She couldn't believe it. Lupin was...He was friends with Black?

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione cried out. Lupin turned towards Hermione nearby.

"Hermione—" he started.

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione's voice was high now, "I've been covering for you—"

"Hermione, listen to me, please! I can explain—"

"I trusted you!" Harry yelled, pulling himself from where Elizabeth was still holding onto his shoulder, "And all this time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong," Lupin said calmly, "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now—let me explain."

"You've been helping Black, haven't you?" Elizabeth asked, her voice squeaking slightly, "That's why you knew about the secret passages but never told the other staff..."

"That's not all," Hermione said coolly, "Professor Lupin is a _werewolf_."

Elizabeth froze, staring at Lupin with wide eyes. A...A werewolf? She'd looked up to Lupin...She'd finally started to get better at Defense Against the Dark Arts because of him...

And he was a werewolf? She'd been taught for the past year by a werewolf?

"How long have you known?" Lupin asked, watching Hermione.

"Ages," Hermione said softly, "Since I did Professor Snape's essay..."

"He'll be delighted. He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant...Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"

"Both."

Lupin gave a hollow sort of laugh.

"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

"I'm not. If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," Lupin said with a sad sort of smile, "At least, the staff do."

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron asked in shock, "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so. He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy—"

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry shouted, stepping forward, pointing towards Black, "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!"

"Harry..." Elizabeth managed weakly, looking between Black and Lupin. Something just didn't sit right...

"I have _not_ been helping Sirius," Lupin said, "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain." Lupin paused, tossing everyone back their wands and pocketed his own. "There. You're armed. We're not. Now will you listen?"

"Maybe we should," Elizabeth said softly, and Harry turned to her as if she'd gone insane.

"Listen, I was unconscious when Black brought me here," she said, "He could have killed me at any moment. But he didn't. He...He said he wasn't here for you..."

"And he's not," Lupin said, "I thought he was, but I understand now that he's not."

"How are you so sure?" Harry asked angrily.

"The map," Lupin said, "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it—"

"You know how to work it?" Harry cut in.

"Of course I know how to work it. I helped write it. I'm Moony—that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

Elizabeth stared at Lupin in surprise. She knew he knew it was a map. That was obvious when he took it from Harry. But it didn't really occur to her to wonder _how_ he knew it was a map...Professor Lupin was a teacher, one of the best Elizabeth had. To think he'd made something like the Marauder's Map...

"The important thing is," Lupin went on, "I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you and your friends might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"

Elizabeth glanced over at Harry. It seemed Lupin knew him as well as they did.

"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry—"

"How d'you know about the cloak?" Harry asked cautiously.

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it..."

"You were friends with Harry's father?" Elizabeth asked, but Lupin just waved them off.

"The point is," he said, "Even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid and set off back towards the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."

"No we weren't," Elizabeth said, "We were alone, just the four of us."

"I couldn't believe my eyes," Lupin went on, "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!" Harry said.

"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled _Sirius Black_...I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled one of you into the Whomping Willow, how four of you chased after—"

"Three of us!" Ron corrected.

"No, Ron," Lupin said, "Four of you."

Lupin paused from his pacing, looking fully to Ron now.

"Do you think I could have a look at that rat?" he asked.

"Scabbers?" Elizabeth asked blankly.

"What does he have to do with it?" Ron asked, hugging his old pet closer.

What _did_ he have to do with it? So what if they found Scabbers while at Hagrid's? He was just a rat, after all...

"Could I see him, please?" Lupin asked, holding out his hand.

"What's Scabbers have to do with anything, Professor?" Elizabeth asked, moving forward between him and Ron, "Scabbers is just a rat!"

"That's not a rat," Black spoke up.

"What d'you mean?" Ron asked behind Elizabeth, "Of course he's a rat."

"No, he's not," Lupin said softly, "He's a wizard."

"An anamagus," Black added, "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

_**Chapter Eighteen:**_

"_What_?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief, staring at Lupin and Black, "That...That can't be possible!"

"Peter Pettigrew is _dead_!" Harry shouted, then pointing to Black, "_He_ killed him twelve years ago!"

"I meant to," Black made an odd sort of noise, "But little Peter got the better of me...not this time, though!"

Black launched himself towards Ron. Harry and Elizabeth moved together, both getting in front of Ron and aiming their wands at him. At the same time, Lupin grabbed Black from behind and pulled him backwards.

"WAIT!" Lupin cried out, "You can't just do it like that—they need to understand—we've got to explain—"

"We can explain afterwards!" Black yelled, trying to fight from Lupin's grip. Neither Elizabeth nor Harry moved. Ron kept fighting with Scabbers, trying to hold the rat still.

"They've—got—a—right—to—know—everything!" Lupin managed, "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts even I don't understand! And Harry—you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

Slowly, Black stopped struggling, though his gaze was locked past Harry and Elizabeth to Ron behind them.

"All right, then," Black said shortly, "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..."

_I'm not here for him_...That's what Black had told Elizabeth earlier...Her gaze flickered over her shoulder to Ron behind her, struggling to keep hold of Scabbers. He was after Ron's rat...But why? Was this rat really some wizard thought to be dead for thirteen years?

"You're nutters, both of you," Ron said weakly, "I've had enough of this."

Ron stepped past Harry and Elizabeth towards the door, but Lupin raised his wand. Without thinking, Elizabeth moved forward between them again. Lupin's gaze flickered to her for a moment, an odd expression crossing his face.

"You're going to hear me out," Lupin said softly, "Just keep a tight hold on Peter, Ron, while you listen."

"HE'S NOT PETER! HE'S SCABBERS!"

"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," Harry said, "A whole street full of them..."

"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Black said bitterly.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," Lupin said, "I believed it myself—until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies...Peter is alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."

Elizabeth glanced to her friends. Harry and Ron both had disbelieving looks on their faces. Elizabeth had her doubts, though...She kept thinking about when she first woke up. Black saying he didn't want to hurt her...Saying he wasn't here for Harry...

"But Professor Lupin..." Hermione spoke up nearby. She'd been so quiet until now. "Scabbers can't be Pettigrew...It just can't be true, you know it can't..."

"Why can't it be true?" Lupin asked, looking to Hermione, speaking in a tone as if they were in a classroom.

"Because...Because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework—the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things...and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list—"

"Right again, Hermione!" Lupin said with a proud sort of smile, "But the Ministry never knew there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," Black snapped, "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"All right...but you'll need to help me, Sirius. I only know how it began—"

The door nearby creaked open on its own. Elizabeth jumped slightly and stared at it, feeling a little unnerved. That sickening feeling of dread was still gripping her stomach...She couldn't help but think something was still coming...

"No one there," Lupin said, looking out into the hall.

"This place is haunted!" Ron cried.

"It's not," Lupin said, turning back to the others, "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted...The screams and howls villagers used to hear were made by me."

'_We're in the Shrieking Shack?'_ Elizabeth thought, glancing around at the destroyed furniture.

"That's where all this starts," Lupin went on, running a hand through his hair, "With my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten...and if I hadn't been so foolhardy...I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. I makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform...I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again."

Lupin gave a sigh and Elizabeth glanced over at her friends. Hermione was watching Lupin intently, as if they were in a classroom and he was giving a lecture on Red Caps. Harry had a look on his face as if he weren't sure what to think. As if doubt was starting to come. Ron still looked as if he thought Lupin and Black were completely mental.

"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a full-fledged monster once a month," Lupin said, "It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me."

'_Considering what Mum's seen of werewolf attacks she treated, I don't blame them,'_ Elizabeth thought weakly.

"But then Dumbledore became Headmaster," Lupin went on, "And he was sympathetic. He said as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school..." Lupin turned to Harry at that. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house...The tunnel that leads to it...They were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."

Harry seemed fixated on Lupin. Elizabeth couldn't help be drawn in herself. She was curious about what all was going on...About how all this linked together...

"My transformations in those days were—were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and they thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor...Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it..."

"So there were never ghosts here?" Elizabeth asked, pausing to think, "Well, now that I think about it, Mum said the Shrieking Shack wasn't around when she was in school..."

"It was here because of me," Lupin said with a nod, "And apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black...Peter Pettigrew...And, of course, your father, Harry—James Potter."

Harry blinked a bit, a look on his face as if he weren't sure what to think. Elizabeth found herself moving closer to him, watching him closely.

"Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month," Lupin went on, "I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her...I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth...

"And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."

"My dad too?" Harry asked softly.

Elizabeth watched him closely, then glanced over at Lupin. She couldn't imagine what it had to be like. Being a werewolf, having friends, being terrified they'd abandon him...

"Yes, indeed," Lupin said, "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong—one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get form James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."

"That doesn't say how they helped you when you were a werewolf," Elizabeth said quietly.

"They couldn't keep me company as humans," Lupin said, "So they kept me company as animals. A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed...Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."

"Hurry up, Remus," Black hissed nearby. Elizabeth jumped slightly, glancing over to him and then instinctively moving towards Harry again at the murderous look on the man's face.

"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there..." Lupin said, waving Sirius off. "Well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night—"

"Alone?" Elizabeth's voice squeaked, "What...What were you thinking? What if you ran into someone? What if you got away from the others?"

"A thought that still haunts me," Lupin said softly, "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless—carried away with our own cleverness."

Elizabeth frowned, realizing that sounded familiar. She and her friends often went sneaking out, having near-misses...Thinking they were great adventures the next day...

'_We did it because we had to,'_ Elizabeth told herself. They didn't sneak out for the fun of it, to just explore...They felt they had to. To stop Quirrell. To save Ginny. To be there for Hagrid...

"I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust," Lupin went on, "He admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventures. And I haven't changed...All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led the others along with me...and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am."

"You..." Elizabeth spoke up, "Is this why you haven't told the teachers about the passageways? You said you helped write the Marauder's map...You know about the passageways, but I haven't seen them guarded..."

"Yes," Lupin said sadly, "I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he'd learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus, or knowing about the passages, had nothing to do with it...So in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."

"Snape?" Black looked over at Lupin for the first time, "What's Snape got to do with it?"

"He's here, Sirius. He's teaching here as well," Lupin said with a glance to Black before looking back to the others, "Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons...you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick that involved me—"

"It served him right," Black said shortly, snorting, "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to...hoping he could get us expelled..."

"Severus was very interested in where I went every month," Lupin said, "We were in the same year, you know, and we—er—didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field...Anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be—er—amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it—if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf—"

"That's a horrible idea of a joke," Elizabeth said, "Snape could have been killed."

"He could have been," Lupin agreed gravely, "But James heard what Sirius had done and went after Snape. He pulled him back at great risk to his life...Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody but from that time on he knew what I was..."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," Harry said, "Because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right."

Elizabeth jumped with a small yelp, spinning to the door. Snape was there now, one hand aiming a wand at Lupin. And in his other hand was Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," Snape said coolly, dropping the Invisibility Cloak, "Very useful, Potter, I thank you..."

Harry tensed next to Elizabeth. It was clear he didn't like the idea of Snape using the cloak. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice the look on Snape's face. She'd never seen him so...Happy? Excited?

"You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?" Snape asked with a smirk, his wand still aimed at Lupin, "I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did...lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus—"

"I told the headmaster again and again you were helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout—"

"Severus, you're making a mistake," Lupin said, a bit of panic in his voice, "You haven't heard everything—I can explain—Sirius is not here to kill Harry—"

'_He's after Ron's rat,'_ Elizabeth thought, looking to Ron, who was still struggling to keep Scabbers in his hands, which were now bloody from scratches and bites.

"Two more for Azkaban tonight," Snape said, "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this...He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin...a _tame_ werewolf—"

"You fool," Lupin cut in, "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back in Azkaban?"

There was a loud bang and ropes shot from Snape's wand and bound and gagged Lupin, causing him to tumble to the ground. Elizabeth let out a small yell, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening. At the same time, Black went running forward, but Snape turned his wand towards him.

"Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

Black stumbled to a stop and Elizabeth was frozen, staring at the two men who's faces showed equal rage.

Elizabeth's mind was racing. She kept going over when she woke up. Black said he hadn't wanted to hurt her...And aside from the gashes on her arm, he never did...Despite the opportunities he had...He said he wasn't here for Harry...The story that Peter Pettigrew had been a rat Animagus...

Elizabeth looked over to Ron, holding Scabbers. What if it was true? What if that rat she'd known for three years was a wizard in hiding?

"Professor Snape," Hermione started up weakly, taking a step forward, "It...It wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape snapped, "You, Potter, Martin, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, _hold your tongue_."

"But, what if they have something?" Elizabeth asked, "What if—"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape's was shouting now, and Elizabeth yelped, backing away, "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Snape turned back to Black, a wicked sort of grin on his face.

"Vengeance is very sweet," he said, "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..."

"The joke's on you again, Severus," Black said with his own smirk, "As long as this boy—" he motioned to Ron, "—brings his rat to the castle, I'll come quietly."

"Up to the castle? I don't think we need to go that far," Snape said softly, "All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black...pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay..."

Black went ghostly white at that.

"You—you've got to hear me out," he managed, "The rat—look at the rat—"

"Come on, all of you," Snape cut in, "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too—"

Harry crossed the room quickly, blocking the doorway and turning back to Snape. Elizabeth looked over at him and caught his eye. Without thinking, she gave a small nod, showing she agreed. She wanted to hear what Black and Lupin had to say.

"Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already," Snape said shortly, "If I hadn't been here to save your skin—"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year," Harry said simply, "I've been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works. Get out of the way, Potter."

"You're pathetic!" Harry's voice rose now, "Just because they made a fool of you at school you won't even _listen_—"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape yelled, spinning his wand at Harry. Elizabeth tensed, pulling her wand from her pocket. From the corner of her eye, she could see Hermione and Ron doing the same.

"Like father, like son, Potter!" Snape yelled, "I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you!"

Elizabeth felt a flash of rage go through her and she raised her wand. Snape may be a teacher, but he was also basically threatening her best friend...

"You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black—"

'_Except the whole reason we're wanting to listen is because we think we might be,'_ Elizabeth thought, _'Might be mistaken in thinking he's a murderer.'_

"Now get out of the way, or I'll _make you_," Snape snapped, and that was the last straw for Elizabeth, "GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

Four disarming spells hit Snape at the same time, from four different angles. Snape was slammed into a nearby wall, where he sunk to the ground, unconscious. Elizabeth stood there, gripped with a bit of elation and fear. She'd just disarmed an adult. But she'd attacked one of her teachers...She was as good as expelled.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_**Chapter Nineteen:**_

"You shouldn't have done that," Black said slowly, "You should have left him to me..."

Harry looked away from Black. Elizabeth couldn't imagine what he was thinking right now...

"We attacked a teacher," Hermione whispered, shifting her weight from foot to foot, "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble—"

Elizabeth edged closer to Snape nearby as Black bent to untie Lupin.

"I...I think Snape is just unconscious," Elizabeth said weakly, not wanting to get too close to her Potions professor.

"Thank you, Harry."

Elizabeth turned at Lupin's voice to see him rubbing at his wrists as he got to his feet.

"I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry said.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," Lupin said, turning to Ron, "You, boy—give me Peter, please. Now."

"Come off it," Ron said weakly, holding his rat closer to him, "Are you trying to say Black broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on _Scabbers_?"

He turned towards Elizabeth, Harry, and Hermione at that, a pleading look on his face. Elizabeth swallowed. She didn't want Scabbers to be this Pettigrew guy any more than he did, but...

"Black told me after I woke up that he wasn't here for Harry..." Elizabeth said slowly, "That...That he didn't want to hurt me..."

"Okay," Ron said slowly, "Say Pettigrew could turn into a rat—there are millions of rats—how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," Lupin said, looking towards his old school friend, "How _did_ you find out where he was?"

Black paused for a moment, then pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of his old, ripped robes. Holding it out, Elizabeth recognized it as a photo from the _Daily Prophet_ article she'd read during the summer. The Weasley family vacationing in Egypt. Ron in the front, with Scabbers on his shoulder...

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked in shock.

"Fudge," Black said, "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page...on this boy's shoulder...I knew him once...how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts...to where Harry was..."

"My God," Lupin whispered, "His front paw..."

"What about it?" Ron asked.

"He's got a toe missing," Black said and Elizabeth gasped.

"P-Pettigrew," she said weakly, "When he...All...All they found was a finger..."

Things were starting to click in her mind. Black really hadn't been after Harry...He'd been after a rat. A rat that used to be his friend...

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something!" Ron said, his voice rising some, "He's been in my family for ages—"

"Twelve years, in fact," Lupin said, "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We—we've been taking good care of him!"

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" Lupin asked softly, "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again..."

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" Ron snapped, pointing to Crookshanks.

"This cat isn't mad," Black said, petting Crookshanks, "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he et me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me...Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me..."

"He...He has?" Elizabeth asked weakly.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't," Black said, shaking his head.

Crookshanks' constant attacks on Scabbers...Elizabeth glanced over to the cat, then to Ron holding the struggling rat.

"So he stole the passwords into the Gryffindor Tower for me...As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table...But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it..."

"By making us think he had been eaten by Crookshanks?" Elizabeth asked weakly.

"Why not?" Black asked, "Faking his death and blaming it on another worked once."

"And why did he fake his death?" Harry snapped, straightening up, "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

"No," Lupin stepped forward, "Harry—"

"And now you've come to finish him off!"

"Yes, I have," Black said simply.

_I'm not here for Harry_...What Black had told Elizabeth earlier...She found herself looking over to the rat Ron was struggling with.

"Then I should have let Snape take you!" Harry yelled next to her.

"Harry, don't you see?" Lupin said, taking another step forward, "All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down—but it was the other way around, don't you see? _Peter_ betrayed your mother and father—Sirius tracked _Peter_ down—"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP! HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

"Harry..." Elizabeth whispered, moving closer to her friend and putting a hand on his shoulder, but he shook her away, glaring at Black.

"I as good as killed them," Black said weakly, "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me...I'm to blame, I know it...The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. I didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies...I realized what Peter must've done...what I'd done..."

He sounded so sincere...the pain in his voice so real...Elizabeth found herself wanting to believe him, but at the same time, not wanting to believe Ron's beloved pet was some man in disguise...

"Enough talk," Lupin said, turning to Ron and holding out his hand, "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, _give me that rat_."

"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked slowly, hugging Scabbers closer against his chest, despite the rat's protests.

"Force him to show himself," Lupin answered, "If he's really a rat, it won't hurt him."

Ron didn't seem to know what to do. He looked over towards the others and Elizabeth frowned.

"If it won't hurt him, then give them a chance," she said, "And we'll all know who's telling the truth."

Finally, Ron gave a nod, holding out Scabbers. The rat began to protest much louder now, squirming and squealing non-stop.

Black went over to Snape, getting his wand before coming back over to Lupin.

"Together?" he asked. Lupin nodded, taking the rat from Ron.

With a count of three, they both pointed their wands at Scabbers. There was a faint light from both wands, catching Scabbers between them. Scabbers seemed to float for a second, then fell to the floor. Elizabeth let out a yelp, but that wasn't the end of it.

The rat began to grow and grow. To slowly change shape. Lose his fur. The tail shrink until it disappeared completely. He was becoming more human...

In Scabbers' place was a man no taller than Elizabeth with pale hair that held a large bald patch. Clothes hung baggy on him, as if they were meant for someone larger. He had a pointed nose and small eyes that, somehow, reminded Elizabeth of a rat. Maybe it was because he had been a rat just moments before?

"Well, hello, Peter," Lupin said softly, "Long time, no see."

"S-Sirius...R-Remus..." the man said weakly, obviously unused to his voice, his gaze constantly going to the door near Elizabeth, "My friends...my old friends..."

'_This...This man was with us for three years...'_ Elizabeth thought in disgust. This man, pretending to be Ron's pet...Living as a rat, just to be in hiding...Elizabeth thought about the times hanging out on the school grounds, where she'd swiped some cheese from the tables in the Great Hall and fed them to Scabbers while they were in the shade of trees...Knowing it was this man...

"We've been having a nice little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died," Lupin said, "You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed..."

"Remus," Pettigrew said weakly, "You don't believe him, do you? He tried to kill me, Remus..."

"So we've heard," Lupin's voice grew cold, "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so—"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Peter cut in, his voice squeaking. Elizabeth winced a little, hating that she had something in common with this man. Her voice squeaked in much the same way when she was nervous or frightened.

"He killed Lilly and James!" Pettigrew cried, pointing at Black, "And now he's going to kill me too! You've got to help me, Remus..."

Black glared at Pettigrew, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to kill the man right now.

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," Lupin said simply.

"Sorted things out?" Pettigrew asked weakly, his gaze flickering around the room. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice he kept going back to the door near her. Without thinking, she took a step to the side, blocking the escape route and Pettigrew suddenly looked more panicked. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow and keeping his wand pointed at Pettigrew, "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"How...How did you escape, er...Mr. Black?" Elizabeth asked, looking over to the man. He turned to her with a look as if he didn't expect to be asked a question in such a manner.

Black was quiet for a moment, studying Elizabeth.

"I don't know how I did it," he said finally, "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me...But it kept me sane and knowing who I am...Helped me keep my powers...so when it all became...too much...I could transform in my cell...Become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know...They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions...They could tell that my feelings were less—less human, less complex when I was a dog...But they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand..."

'_But he somehow escaped,'_ Elizabeth thought, watching Black.

"But then I saw Peter in that picture," Black went on, nodding to the clip out from the newspaper, "I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry...perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again...ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies...and deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcome back with honors..."

Elizabeth tensed, glaring over at Pettigrew. To think this man was so close to Harry for so long...That at any moment he could have killed her best friend and no one would have realized the truth...It sickened her more than any feelings of dread she got ever could.

"So you see, I had to do something," Black went on, "I was the only one who knew Peter was alive...It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it...It wasn't a happy feeling...It was an obsession...But it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog...It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused...I was thin, very thin...thin enough to slip through the bars...I swam as a dog back to the mainland...I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry..."

Black turned to Harry at that, and Elizabeth noticed Harry didn't turn away this time.

"Believe me," Black said weakly, "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

Black and Harry stared at each other in silence. Elizabeth slowly reached up, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder again. He tensed, but this time, he didn't brush her off. She had no idea if Harry believed Black, but if she was honest with herself, she did. Everything sounded insane, but it made sense, in a way.

Slowly, Harry gave a small nod. Elizabeth had an unexpected wave of relief at that.

Pettigrew let out a cry, falling to his knees and shuffling towards Black, his hands clasped together.

"Sirius—it's me...It's Peter...Your friend...You wouldn't..."

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," Black snapped, kicking Pettigrew away. Pettigrew immediately turned to Remus.

"You don't believe this...wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," Lupin said, then looking up at Black, "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"

"Forgive me, Remus."

"Of course, Padfoot, old friend," Lupin said with a grin, "And you will, in turn, forgive me for believing _you_ were the spy?"

"Of course," Black said with a faint sort of grin as he rolled up his sleeves, "Shall we kill him together?"

"Yes, I think so."

They were going to kill him right there? Right now? Elizabeth tensed, squeezing Harry's shoulder slightly.

"You wouldn't...you won't..." Pettigrew was panicked now, rushing towards Ron, "Haven't I been a good friend...a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you...you're on my side, aren't you?"

"I let you sleep in my _bed_!" Ron said in disgust.

"Kind boy...Kind master...You won't let them do it...I was your rat...I was a good pet..."

"If you made a better rat than human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," Black said as Ron backed away from Pettigrew. The former rat turned, moving towards Hermione now.

"Sweet girl...Clever girl...You—you wouldn't let them...help me..."

Hermione just backed away from Pettigrew, her eyes wide, her face a mixture of horror and disgust.

Pettigrew turned then, starting for Elizabeth and Harry.

"Harry...Harry..." Pettigrew started, "You look just like your father...just like him..."

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" Black moved forward, "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

"Harry..." Pettigrew ignored Black, "Harry, James wouldn't want me killed...James would have understood, Harry...he would have shown me mercy..."

He reached his hand to Harry, and Elizabeth moved forward, blocking Pettigrew off, glaring at the man. At the same time, Lupin and Black had grabbed Pettigrew and pulled him away, pushing him to the floor and aiming their wands at him.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," Black hissed, "Do you deny it?"

Pettigrew was crying now. Elizabeth couldn't help but think she'd never seen a more pathetic sight.

"Sirius, Sirius," he managed, "What could I have done? The Dark Lord...You have no idea...He has weapons you can't imagine...I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me—"

"DON'T LIE! YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He—he was taking over everywhere! Wh—what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

'_How many other people died because of this coward?' _Elizabeth found herself thinking.

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" Black growled, "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"You should have realized if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would," Lupin said calmly, raising his wand at the same time as Black, "Goodbye, Peter."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. They couldn't do this...Not here, not like this...She spun to Harry, but he was already running forward, putting himself between Black and Lupin, and Pettigrew.

"You can't kill him," he said, his arms out, "You can't."

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Black snapped, "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know," Harry said slowly, "We'll take him to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors...He can go to Azkaban...But don't kill him."

"Harry!" Pettigrew hugged Harry's legs tightly, "Thank you—it's more than I deserve—thank you—"

"Get off me," Harry snapped, kicking Pettigrew away, the hatred clear on his face, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because—I don't reckon my dad would want them to become killers—just for you."

Elizabeth let out a small breath of relief, though she was frozen on the spot, watching them. Black and Lupin had their wands still raised, staring at Pettigrew, who was shaking and crying on the floor. Slowly, Black and Lupin lowered their wands and looked to Harry.

"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," Black said, "But think...Think what he did."

"He can go to Azkaban," Harry said instantly, "If anyone deserves that place, he does."

"Very well," Lupin said with a nod, "Step aside, Harry. I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear."

Harry slowly moved to the side and Lupin aimed his wand at Pettigrew. In a moment, ropes bound and gagged him.

"But if you transform, Peter," Black said lowly, "We _will_ kill you. You agree, Harry?"

Harry glanced at Pettigrew and gave a nod. Pettigrew's eyes widened.

"Right," Lupin said, looking to Professor Snape nearby and raising his wand, "Probably best not to revive him until we're to the castle..._Mobilcorpus_."

Snape rose limply, his head lulled to the side and his feet floating barely an inch from the ground. It was like he was an eerie, oversized doll. Elizabeth looked away quickly.

"And two of us should be chained to this," Black said, giving Pettigrew a light kick, "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it," Lupin said.

"And me," Ron said bitterly.

Elizabeth couldn't blame him. He had the most of an insult, his own pet being this...thing that betrayed so many...Elizabeth straightened up, watching as manacles were summoned and Ron and Lupin each secured themselves to Pettigrew.

Crookshanks let out a meow nearby, then jumped off the bed and left the room. Elizabeth looked over at the others, then took it as a sign to follow, and headed off herself.

Elizabeth didn't like going back into the tunnel. She'd been hoping it was tall and spacious—after all, she'd been unconscious the first time through. She found herself wishing she was unconscious for this journey, too. The tunnel was narrow and low. Lupin and Ron, with Pettigrew between them, had to walk sideways and doubled over. In fact, all of them had to walk bent over a bit, with Elizabeth and Hermione in the rear. Elizabeth kept trying to ignore the small space. Trying to imagine she wasn't in this tunnel...

Hermione, who knew of Elizabeth's claustrophobia as well as Harry and Ron, kept glancing over at Elizabeth as they walked. Elizabeth wished she would stop. It was only making her antsier. She just wanted out of the tunnel.

Harry was talking to Black up ahead of them, but Elizabeth couldn't really hear what they were saying. She probably could have, if she wasn't so focused on trying to ignore her surroundings.

It was a relief to get out of the tunnel and back onto the open Hogwarts grounds. Though after a few steps, something felt wrong. Elizabeth still felt jumpy. At first, she thought it was just lingering from the tunnel, but after a few moments, she realized what it was.

That feeling of dread she'd had all afternoon hadn't gone away yet. In fact, it was still growing stronger. Enough that her heart was racing even more now...Whatever was going to happen, it was still coming...

Elizabeth glanced over at Harry, wondering if she should warn him, when Lupin suddenly stopped up ahead. The ground was becoming lighter around them as the moon came out from behind a cloud overhead. Black, ahead of Elizabeth, Hermione, and Harry, held out his arm to stop them and Hermione gasped, her hands over her mouth.

"He didn't take his potion tonight!" she said, "He's not safe!"

"Run," Black ordered, "Run. Now."

Harry started forward towards Ron, but Black blocked him.

"Leave it to me—RUN!"

Lupin was twitching up ahead, his body shifting and changing. Hair was starting to form over his skin...Ron looked horrified, and Elizabeth couldn't blame him. He was there, chained to a murderer and a transformed werewolf.

Sirius jumped forward, transforming into the large dog that had dragged Elizabeth under the Whomping Willow not too long ago. Instead of attacking them, however, he collided with Lupin the werewolf, knocking him away from Pettigrew and Ron. Elizabeth yelped, her hands over her mouth as she watched in terror as the two figures disappeared into darkness.

Ron let out a yell. Elizabeth spun around to see Pettigrew had made a run for Lupin's wand, dragging Ron down with him. Elizabeth immediately yanked out her own wand, but she wasn't fast enough. Pettigrew had turned the wand on Ron and with a loud bang, Ron was thrown back unconscious.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Harry yelled and Lupin's wand went flying from Pettigrew's hand, "Stay where you are!"

Pettigrew didn't listen. In one move, he began to shrink, quickly becoming a rat and running off into the darkness. Elizabeth was about to run after, but a howl stopped her and she spun to see Lupin the werewolf running off into the trees himself.

"Sirius, he's gone!" Harry called, "Pettigrew's transformed!"

Black looked in bad shape, but he took off into the woods as well. Elizabeth ran over to Ron with Hermione and Elizabeth.

"What did he do to him?" Hermione asked quietly, reaching a shaking hand towards Ron.

"I...I don't know," Elizabeth whispered, studying her friend, ignoring the sickening feeling still churning in her stomach. Ron's eyes were half open, his mouth hanging open. Though Elizabeth could hear shallow breaths. Relief rushed through her. "He's breathing...He's alive..."

Harry looked relieved, glancing up to where Professor Snape was hanging in the air nearby. Elizabeth had forgotten he was along...

"We'd better get them up to the castle and tell someone," he said, running a hand through his hair.

A loud yelp came from the darkness towards the lake, the sound of a hurt animal...Elizabeth tensed, the dread building in her more...

"Sirius," Harry said, immediately taking off towards the sound.

"Harry!" Elizabeth hissed, jumping up and taking off after him. She could hear Hermione behind her.

As they got closer to the lake, the dread in Elizabeth grew more. She began growing cold and sick. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

They stumbled to a stop. Black was in front of them, human again. He was crumpled forward on his knees, his hands over his head and moaning. Elizabeth felt herself shivering with cold, unable to move. And it soon became clear why.

Dementors. At least a hundred of them were moving slowly closer along the edge of the lake. The dread had Elizabeth frozen completely, unable to think, unable to move...

She could hear someone yelling, though she couldn't make out what he was saying. It sounded as if it were coming from somewhere far away. She couldn't move. All she could think about was the sickening dread building more and more, becoming unbearable...

Her knees gave way. Elizabeth felt herself starting to fall, but was unconscious before she even hit the ground.


	20. Chapter Twenty

_**Chapter Twenty:**_

"YOU HAVEN'T! YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

Elizabeth groaned, jerked from her unconsciousness. She was somewhere soft...warm...Yet, something didn't feel right. Someone was yelling nearby...

"Minister, listen, please," another voice came and it took a moment before Elizabeth realized it was Hermione, "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and—"

"You see, Minister?" Snape's voice came now, "Confunded, both of them...Black's done a very good job on them..."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!"

Everything came rushing back to Elizabeth. Visiting Hagrid. Being dragged to the Shrieking Shack. Encountering Black. Finding out about Ron's pet Scabbers being an Animagus in disguise. Finding out Professor Lupin was a werewolf. Pettigrew escaping. The dementors...

Elizabeth sat up quickly in her bed, everything blurred around her. She felt around until she found her glasses, grabbing them and pushing them on. Someone had repaired the lenses, apparently. There were no longer long cracks along one lens.

She was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Ron lay unconscious in a nearby bed, while Harry and Hermione stood side by side nearby, facing Professor Snape and the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Madam Pomfrey was coming over, looking extremely put out.

"Minister! Professor!" she said angrily, "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed!" Harry was nearly yelling, "I'm trying to tell them what happened! If they'd just listen—"

Madam Pomfrey cut Harry off by shoving a slab of chocolate in his mouth and pushing him down onto one of the hospital beds. The second she saw Elizabeth sitting up, she shoved chocolate into her hands as well.

Elizabeth looked over at Harry and Hermione. What was going on? How'd they get to the hospital wing? Where was Sirius Black? Professor Lupin?

"Now, _please_, Minister," Madam Pomfrey turned to the two men nearby, "These children need care. Please leave—"

The hospital wing doors opened and Elizabeth looked to see Professor Dumbledore coming in now, looking around the room. Harry immediately wiggled away from the school healer and got out of the bed.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black—"

"For heaven's sake!" Madam Pomfrey shouted, "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist—"

"My apologies, Poppy," Dumbledore said softly, "But I need a word with Mr. Potter and Misses Granger and Martin. I have just been talking to Sirius Black—"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planed into Potter's mind?" Snape asked coldly, "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive—"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," Dumbledore said, watching Snape closely.

'_Sirius...He's been captured?'_ Elizabeth thought weakly. She thought back to the dementors...And shuddered. It was a miracle that Sirius was alive...They were all lucky to be alive. What drove off the dementors?

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" Snape asked sharply, "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"You were unconscious!" Elizabeth said loudly.

"Miss Martin, hold your tongue!"

"Now, Snape," Fudge spoke up, "This young lady is disturbed in her mind, like the others, it seems. We must make allowances—"

"I would like to speak to Harry, Hermione, and Elizabeth alone," Dumbledore cut in, "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy—please leave us."

"Headmaster!" Madam Pomfrey looked shocked, "They need treatment, they need rest—"

"This cannot wait. I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey did not look at all pleased as she marched off and slammed her door behind her. Elizabeth wince a little at the noise. She was not looking forward to how Madam Pomfrey would be next time she came in...

Elizabeth looked over to the others to see the Minister for Magic checking his watch.

"The dementors should have arrived by now," he said, "I'll go meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

Fudge started to leave, stopping at the door and looking to Snape, who was still staring at Dumbledore. Elizabeth pushed the covers off her lap and got up, coming over to Harry and Hermione.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" he asked quietly.

"I wish to speak to these three alone," Dumbledore said simply.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," Snape hissed, moving closer to Dumbledore, "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill _me_?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus."

Snape looked livid. He turned quickly and marched out of the room with Fudge. The second the door closed, Dumbledore turned to Harry, Elizabeth, and Hermione, who all started talking at once.

"Professor, Sirius telling the truth—we _saw_ Pettigrew—"

"—he really is a rat, we saw him transform—"

"—he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf—"

"—he's the one who attacked Ron—"

"—Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off—"

Dumbledore raised his hand for silence, and all three of them cut off instantly.

"It is your turn to listen," he said softly, "And I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time. There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word—and the word of three thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you—"

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything," Dumbledore cut in, "By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little—and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends—"

"But—"

"_Listen to me, Harry_. It's too late, do you understand me?"

"It can't be! Sirius is innocent!" Elizabeth's voice squeaked.

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man," Dumbledore said, "The attack on the Fat Lady—entering the Gryffindor Tower with a knife—without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"_But you believe us?_" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I do. But I have no power to make other men seen the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic...What we need is more _time_."

"But that's impossible!" Elizabeth whispered weakly.

Hermione, however, had gone wide-eyed and gave a small gasp.

"Now, pay attention," Dumbledore said softly, "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, all of you: _you must not be seen_. Miss Granger, you know the law—you know what is at stake..._You—must—not—be—seen._"

Elizabeth had been confused since she woke up, and she was only becoming more confused now. What was Dumbledore talking about?

"I'm going to lock you in," Dumbledore said, checking his watch, "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore left, closing the door and Elizabeth was just completely lost.

"Good luck?" Harry asked, turning to Hermione, "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

"I have no idea," Elizabeth said slowly, shaking her head. She turned to Hermione as well, who was pulling what looked like a long, gold necklace out from under her shirt.

"Both of you, come here. Quick."

Elizabeth was still confused, but she went over to Hermione and saw a small hourglass hanging from the chain. That small image, and everything clicked into place in Elizabeth's mind and her eyes widened.

"How—" she started, but Hermione had thrown the chain around Harry and Elizabeth's necks, turning the hourglass in her fingers three times.

Something began tugging at Elizabeth, feeling as if she was dragged backwards. It was much the same as using a portkey. Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the sensation. Just as soon as it started, Elizabeth's feet slammed into the ground and she opened her eyes.

They were no longer in the middle of the hospital wing, where things were only lit by soft candle glows. They were now standing in the middle of the entrance hall. A reddish glow drifting from the windows with the setting sun.

They'd just traveled back in time.

"Hermione, what—" Harry started as Hermione pulled the chain out from around their necks, then grabbed Harry and Elizabeth and dragged them into a nearby closet. Elizabeth immediately went tense.

"Did you have to choose a closet?" she hissed.

"Sorry, but we can't be seen," Hermione whispered, "And I know we're about to go through the entrance hall..."

"We? We're right here, Hermione!" Harry said, confused.

"We...We're also out there, aren't we?" Elizabeth asked, trying to ignore the tight space around them, "That thing around your neck. It's a time turner! We've gone back in time..."

"Yes, now shh," Hermione whispered, "I hear someone coming. I think it's us."

"Can you at least crack the door?" Elizabeth asked, glancing at the closed door next to them. She just wanted out of the closet now...

"Footsteps across the hall..." Hermione whispered, "Yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?" Harry asked blankly.

"Yes," Hermione whispered, then leaning closer to the door, "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like that many...And we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak...We've gone down the front steps..."

Hermione moved away from the door and Elizabeth moved quickly, getting close to it and cracking the door open so she could see out, but they wouldn't be noticed. She was still twitchy and wanted out, but as long as she could see into the entrance hall, she didn't feel so trapped.

"How in the world did you get a time turner, Hermione?" Elizabeth asked, keeping her eyes locked on the entrance hall.

"What is a time turner?" Harry asked.

"I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back," Hermione whispered, "It lets me go back in time a couple of hours at a time. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies...I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see?"

"And how you can be in Muggle Studies with me, but also taking Divination with the others?" Elizabeth asked, a quick glance to Hermione sitting in the corner before looking back out to the wider space on the other side of the door.

"Yes," Hermione sighed, "But I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

"Maybe it has something to do with what we were doing now?" Elizabeth asked, "I mean, we were...Our other selves are...We're going down to Hagrid's..."

"Dumbledore just said..." Harry started slowly, "He said we could save more than one innocent life..."

Elizabeth jerked her head up, looking to Harry with wide eyes as it dawned on her. And it was clear on his face that he'd realized the same thing.

"Buckbeak!" Elizabeth said, "He was meaning Buckbeak!"

"He has to be!" Harry agreed.

"But—how will that help Sirius?" Hermione asked. Elizabeth frowned. That one, she didn't know...

"Dumbledore said—he told us where the window is," Harry whispered, "The window of Flitwick's office! Where they've got Sirius locked up! We've got to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius! Sirius can escape on Buckbeak—they can escape together!"

"Then we'd better get going," Elizabeth whispered, standing up, "We don't have long at all to get down to Hagrid's unnoticed and save Buckbeak..."

Elizabeth wasn't all that sure how they managed it. They didn't have the help of the Invisibility Cloak this time around, so their journey across the sunset-glow grounds was much more dangerous. It involved a lot of darting around the edges of the greenhouses and darting straight for the shadows of the forest, and finally edging as close as they dared to Hagrid's hut while staying out of sight. They could see Buckbeak out in the pumpkin patch, still alive, just as Elizabeth had last seen him hours ago—or as she would see him in a few minutes. Time travel was confusing.

"Now?" Harry whispered, out of breath once they all had stopped.

"No," Hermione said, "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"

"That's not even going to give us a full minute, Hermione," Elizabeth's voice squeaked slightly.

There was the sound of something shattering in Hagrid's hut and Elizabeth looked towards the small home.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered, "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment..."

Just seconds after, Elizabeth could hear her friend's startled cry inside.

"What if we just run in there and grab Pettigrew?" Harry asked suddenly.

"No!" Hermione spun to him, "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen—"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

"And we'd think we'd gone mad," Elizabeth said softly, "Hermione's right. There's a lot of laws surrounding time magic. I've heard Mum tell some horrible stories about patients who misused a time turner..."

"Okay!" Harry whispered, "It was just an idea, I just thought—"

"Shh!" Hermione hissed, nodding to the castle.

Elizabeth looked. Professor Dumbledore was coming along the grounds with Fudge, the executioner, and the elder wizard Elizabeth had seen earlier from Hagrid's hut—or was seeing now? She was never going to get this straight.

"We're about to come out," Hermione whispered.

Just seconds later, Hagrid's back door opened and Elizabeth saw herself coming out of the hut with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Elizabeth glanced at Harry and Hermione on either side of her, then back to the past-them nearby. This was...Well, weird was an understatement. Was her hair really that flat and dull? Was she really _that_ scrawny? Elizabeth had always been a bit self-conscious about how she looked, but seeing herself from a distance like this, the way others saw her...

"Hagrid, we can't—" the Hermione in the pumpkin patch started, bringing Elizabeth from her thoughts as she watched the scene play out in front of her.

"We'll tell them what really happened."

"They can't kill him—"

"Go!" Hagrid said, "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

"Hagrid's right, we have to go," said the Elizabeth ahead of them—did her voice really sound like that?

Elizabeth watched as the four of the past disappeared underneath the Invisibility Cloak, and she still couldn't help but think how weird

"Go quick," Hagrid said, "Don't listen."

"Let's go," came Elizabeth's disembodied voice nearby, "I...I don't want to be here. I don't want to see this..."

They could hear a knock on Hagrid's front door and watched as Hagrid went back into his hut, closing the door behind him. They had left Hagrid's by this time, but Elizabeth, now, among the trees with Harry and Hermione could now hear what was happening inside the hut nearby...

Elizabeth watched as someone came closer to Hagrid's window, looking out to Buckbeak before disappearing from view again.

"Now's our chance," Elizabeth whispered, "They've seen Buckbeak, so they can't blame Hagrid..."

"Wait here," Harry whispered, "I'll do it."

"We—er—have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid," Fudge's voice came from inside the hut as Harry edged towards Buckbeak, "I'll make it quick. And hten you and Macnair need to sign it."

Elizabeth tensed a little, watching Harry reach Buckbeak and bowed to him. She could hear Fudge's voice droning on in Hagrid's hut, but she tuned it out. She was focused on Harry with baited breath.

"Come on, Buckbeak," Harry whispered, "Come on, we're going to help you. Quietly...quietly..."

Harry started to pull on Buckbeak's ropes, slowly edging him closer and closer to the trees. Elizabeth started looking from him to the hut, then back to Harry. Inch by inch, he got closer and closer to the shadow of the trees...Slowly, Buckbeak began to move at a faster pace...

The second Harry reached within feet of the trees, Elizabeth and Hermione both darted out, grabbing onto the ropes and helping Harry get Buckbeak those last few feet they needed, until they were all within the trees and could no longer see Hagrid's hut. But it also meant no one could see them. They were safe. For now.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

_**Chapter Twenty-One:**_

Elizabeth waited quietly, unable to move as she stared in the direction of Hagrid's hut. She could hear a door open, footsteps...

"Where is it?" came a voice Elizabeth didn't know, "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" came another, "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," it was Dumbledore this time, sounding amused.

Elizabeth heard a familiar sound. An axe swinging through the air and hitting something with a thud. She winced, remembering what that sound had meant for another her, somewhere out on the Hogwarts grounds under an Invisibility Cloak...

Hagrid was crying now. Those loud, horrible sobs that had made Elizabeth sick earlier, but now she knew they were tears of joy.

"Gone!" Hagrid managed through the sobs, "Gone! Bless his little beak, he's _gone_! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, you clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to move forward, obviously to go to Hagrid. Elizabeth pulled back with the others, trying to hold the hippogriff back. The last thing they needed was for Buckbeak to ruin their rescue attempt.

"Someone untied him!" the second man was saying, "We should search the grounds, the forest—"

Elizabeth's breath caught as she froze, looking to Harry and Hermione.

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" Dumbledore asked in amusement, "Search the skies, if you will..."

Elizabeth sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging.

"Hagrid," Dumbledore continued, "I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O' course, Professor," Hagrid said weakly, "Come in, come in..."

They listened, waiting until the sound of footsteps died away, until they were sure the group on the other side of the trees was back in Hagrid's hut.

"This is going to be fun," Elizabeth muttered sarcastically, "We're going to have to sit out here and wait until Sirius gets captured and locked in Professor Flitwick's office..."

"We're going to have to move," Harry said after a moment, "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."

"Okay," Hermione replied, gripping Buckbeak's ropes, "But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember..."

Elizabeth moved with her friends, slowly around the edges of the trees. They made sure to stay in the shadows, but it wasn't long before the Whomping Willow came into view in the distance. As did a dark figure appearing out of nowhere, dashing towards it. Soon followed by three more...

"There's Sirius!" Harry whispered after a minute, pointing off to the dog running towards themselves. Knocking Harry over...Elizabeth running to him to help him up...Sirius's jaws clamping around Elizabeth's arm...Elizabeth found herself glancing down at her own arm now. She was wearing fresh robes. No rips and tears from before. Pushing up her sleeve, there was no evidence of the gashing bites from her ordeal. Madam Pomfrey had outdone herself.

"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" Harry asked and Elizabeth looked back up to see herself disappearing under the tree, "Ouch—look, I just got walloped by the tree—and so did you, Hermione—this is _weird_—"

"I didn't realize we were under the Whomping Willow until later," Elizabeth whispered, watching the scene unfold, wincing as Harry narrowly missed being hit, "Though I think I'd rather take the tree than be dragged through the tunnel by my arm."

Suddenly, the tree grew still.

"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot," Hermione said, and Elizabeth watched as three figures disappeared under the Whomping Willow, just for the tree to begin swaying right after.

"And there we go," Harry whispered, "We're in."

Elizabeth sat on the ground, trying to get comfortable. She'd barely adjusted herself, however, when Dumbledore came into view, heading across the grounds with Fudge and the two people from the Committee.

"Right after we'd gone down into the passage!" Hermione whispered, "If _only_ Dumbledore had come with us..."

"Macnair and Fudge would've come too," Harry pointed out, "I bet you anything Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius on the spot..."

"Anything to protect his office," Elizabeth whispered bitterly, then noticing someone heading across the grounds, "That has to be Professor Lupin."

Lupin grabbed a branch from nearby, using it to hit a spot on the tree and freeze it long enough for him to disappear under it.

"If he'd only grabbed the cloak," Harry whispered, "It's just lying right there..." Harry turned to Hermione. "If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and—"

"We can't be seen!" Elizabeth squeaked, "We can't mess with what's happened more than we already are!"

"How can you stand this?" Harry hissed, "Just standing here, and watching it happen? I'm going to grab the cloak!"

Harry started forward. Elizabeth immediately grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. Just in time, too, since Hagrid came into view, singing merrily as he made his way to the castle.

"_See?_" Hermione pointed towards Hagrid, "_See what would have happened?_ We've got to stay out of sight! _No, Buckbeak!_"

Hermione was struggling to pull back on the ropes as Buckbeak tried to head out to Hagrid. Elizabeth and Harry immediately grabbed hold and helped hold him back before Elizabeth went and tied the rope to a nearby tree.

They'd barely gotten Buckbeak still again when the doors opened for another time and Snape came running out, heading immediately for the Whomping Willow. He froze the tree as the others did before, then picked up something from the base, something reflecting silvery light in the moonlight...

"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry growled, glaring ahead of him.

Snape disappeared under the cloak, and in moments, the tree was moving again. Elizabeth sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"So that's it," Hermione whispered, "We're all down there...and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again..."

Elizabeth fiddled with a lock of her hair, playing with it around her fingers and staring off across the grounds. Something had been bothering her...

"How is all this even possible?" she asked softly, "Last I remember...At the lake...The dementors were closing in, and..." Elizabeth shuddered a little at the memory. "Why didn't they kill us? We were defenseless. We shouldn't be here now, shouldn't be alive to do this...Well, we'd be alive, but..."

"I...I think I know," Harry said, sitting next to Elizabeth, "Right before I passed out...I saw this silvery light...It came running across the lake, drove off all the dementors..."

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she watched Harry. Something like that...It was amazing to think about.

"Someone cast a Patronus?" she asked breathlessly, "Who? It couldn't have been Professor Lupin, or Sirius...And I doubt Snape would have bothered trying to save us after what we did..."

"Did you see what they looked like?" Hermione asked, "Was it one of the other teachers?"

"No," Harry answered after a moment, "He wasn't a teacher."

"But it must have been a really powerful wizard," Hermione said breathlessly, "To drive all those dementors away...If the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light hum up? Couldn't you see—"

"Yeah, I saw him," Harry whispered, "But...Maybe I imagined it...I wasn't thinking straight...I passed out right afterward..."

"But you have an idea?" Elizabeth asked.

Harry hesitated, staring down at his hands.

"I think...I think it was my dad."

Elizabeth just stared at Harry, her chest tightening. She couldn't blame him for wanting to cling to something, anything, of his father's...

"Harry, your dad's—well—_dead_," Hermione whispered.

"I know that."

"You think you saw his ghost?"

"I don't know...no...he looked solid..."

"Are you sure it was him?" Elizabeth asked softly, "I mean, I'd give anything for a glimpse of my father, something more than pictures...And lying there, with the dementors closing in..."

"Maybe I was seeing things," Harry shrugged, "But...from what I could see...It looked like him...I've got photos of him...I know it sounds crazy."

"Not at all," Elizabeth said honestly.

They fell silent after that, sitting there in the dark forest, waiting...Elizabeth kept playing with bits of her hair, catching Harry glancing at her from the corner of his eye now and then, or looking to Hermione or Buckbeak. It seemed he was as restless as she was, sitting there.

It was over an hour before any sign of movement came again. The Whomping Willow grew still, Lupin and Ron came out from under the tree with Pettigrew between them...Harry and Sirius followed, Snape floating unconscious...And lastly, Hermione and Elizabeth...

Harry, the one here next to Elizabeth here in the woods, glanced up at the sky before back to the others across the grounds.

"Harry, we must stay put," Hermione whispered, "We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do..."

"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again?" Harry asked.

"I hate to admit it, but there's nothing we can do," Elizabeth whispered, "He's a rat. We'd never be able to find him...Especially when he ran off into the woods."

"_All right!_" Harry snapped and Elizabeth winced a little. She wanted to go after Pettigrew as much as he did. But she knew the consequences of failing here. Buckbeak and Sirius's lives hung on them succeeding...On not getting distracted by Pettigrew...

The ground grew lighter around them. Elizabeth watched, transfixed, as Lupin began to change into a werewolf...An odd pang twisted in Elizabeth's stomach. A quick jab of dread. In an instant, she realized why and jumped to her feet at the same time as Harry.

"Professor Lupin is heading here!" she squeaked.

"We've got to move!" Harry said at the same time.

Hermione gasped and ran for Buckbeak, starting to untie the ropes.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked quickly, "Where are we going to hide/ The dementors will be coming any moment."

"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said, "It's empty now—come on!"

Elizabeth's heart was racing. She ran full-on towards Hagrid's hut, sure they wouldn't be seen this time. Their other-selves were far too preoccupied.

Harry reached the hut first, pulling open the door and dashing inside. Elizabeth and Hermione followed, pulling Buckbeak in with them and Elizabeth slammed the door closed again.

"Shh, Fang, it's us!" Hermione hurried over to the dog, who'd started barking as soon as they entered the hut. She scratched him behind the ears as she turned to the others. "That was really close!"

"Only problem is we can't see what's going on from here," Elizabeth said softly, staring at one of the windows at Buckbeak started to settle down by the fireplace.

"I think I'd better go outside again, you know," Harry said, "We won't know when it's time..."

Hermione frowned at Harry.

"I'll go with him," Elizabeth said, "Harry's right, we need to see what's going on. I promise we won't interfere."

Well...okay, then," Hermione said slowly, "I'll wait here with Buckbeak...but be careful, both of you—there's a werewolf out there—and the dementors—"

"We'll watch each other's backs," Elizabeth said, following Harry back out of the cabin.

Elizabeth knew what Harry wanted. He really wanted to get to the lake, for a glimpse at who had saved them...And honestly, she couldn't blame him. If she'd thought it was her father across the lake...But she also knew Hermione was right, and they needed to stay out of sight. And she wanted to make sure Harry stayed safe, didn't do anything reckless.

The two crept towards the lake. Even from across the water, there was a slight chill, at the edge of Elizabeth's mind, from the dementors. She could already see the fog they gave off on the other coast...Little flashes of silver from someone's failed patronus...

Harry ducked behind some bushes by the water and Elizabeth followed. The ground was a bit damp under them, and Elizabeth tried not to press her knees down into the ground.

"Harry..." Elizabeth whispered, staring across the water where the silver light had stopped appearing, "Is he going to show?"

"Any minute now..." Harry whispered, "Come on..."

Elizabeth sat, frozen, watching in horror at the grouping dementors across the lake. Where was their savoir? Where was the man that looked like Harry's father?

Harry suddenly dashed from behind the bushes, pulling out his wand. Elizabeth looked up, startled. She didn't even have time to react when Harry aimed his wand across the lake.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

A bright, silvery light erupted from Harry's wand. Elizabeth shielded her eyes for a moment, before lowering her hand and watching as something large and silver went running across the water.

Elizabeth sat, transfixed as the creature reached the dementors, driving them away. Slowly, they retreated. The fog disappeared...

The Patronus was returning. Elizabeth rose from the bushes, staring with wide eyes as the silvery stag approached Harry and he lifted his hand towards it.

Harry...Elizabeth's best friend...A boy the same age as her...He'd just driven off a hundred dementors on his own...She'd never seen something so wonderful, so amazing...

Slowly, the stag vanished. Harry looked up at Elizabeth, who was still staring back at him in silence, her eyes wide. They both stood there in silence for a second, then Harry opened his mouth to speak, but they heard footsteps approaching.

"_What did you do?_" Hermione asked angrily, racing towards them with Buckbeak, "You said you weren't going to interfere!"

"I just saved all our lives," Harry said, "Get behind here, behind this bush—I'll explain."

They all ducked back to the hiding place again, and the shock of what was happening was starting to wear off. Elizabeth couldn't help but start grinning. Maybe, just maybe, they could do this...

Quickly, Harry explained to Hermione what had happened, how he realized no one was coming so he rushed out to cast the Patronus himself.

"Did anyone see you?" Hermione asked weakly, her eyes as wide as Elizabeth's had been moments ago.

"Yes, haven't you been listening?" Harry asked with a bright grin, "_I_ saw me, but I thought it was my dad! It's okay!"

"I saw this with my own eyes," Elizabeth said, "But I still can't believe it...Harry, you just saved all of us from over a hundred dementors...That...I doubt there's even many adult wizards that could do that!"

"I knew I could do it this time because I'd already done it..." Harry said slowly, "Does that make sense?"

"I...I guess..." Elizabeth said slowly.

"Look, it's Snape!" Hermione whispered suddenly.

Elizabeth turned, looking around the bushes as best as she could. Snape had shown up at the lake now, Ron on a floating stretcher next to him. They watched as Snape conjured more stretchers, getting the unconscious Harry, Hermione, Elizabeth, and Sirius onto them and, with a wave of his wand, started to the castle with the stretchers following.

"The hard part's over," Elizabeth whispered, "We got thorugh all this. Now it's just waiting until Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office so we can save him and get back to the hospital wing before Dumbledore locks the doors..."

"Forty-five minutes," Hermione said, checking her watch.

They sat in silence, watching the castle. Elizabeth counted the floors, counted the windows, then stared at the black window up above, waiting for signs of lights to come on...

"Look!" Hermione whispered after a long silence, "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"

Elizabeth turned, watching as someone indeed was heading out, the moon reflecting off of something from his belt...

"Macnair, the executioner!" Harry breathed, "He's gone to get the dementors! This is it."

Elizabeth's heart was racing. They'd gotten this far. They could do it. Just a little farther. She and Hermione climbed onto Buckbeak, then Harry got in front of them. Elizabeth gripped tight to Hermione in front of her and instantly, they were in the air.

Riding on Buckbeak was different than a broom. The steady rise and fall of Buckbeak's wings caused him to drift up and down in the air, made it hard to really keep a grip...If she wasn't holding so tight to Hermione, who was in turn holding tight to Harry, she would have fallen off. Hermione's constant mutterings about how much she wasn't enjoying the experience didn't help.

It didn't take them long at all to reach the right window. Hermione quickly used an unlocking spell, and Sirius was soon at the window, staring at them in disbelief.

"Get on," Harry said, "There's not much time. You've got to get out of here—the dementors are coming—Macnair's gone to get them."

Sirius didn't argue. He immediately scrambled out of the window onto Buckbeak, taking up what little room was left. Elizabeth had been worried that Buckbeak wouldn't be able to carry all of them, but he did so with ease, raising them up to the top of the West Tower before landing again. Harry, Hermione, and Elizabeth all scrambled off the hippogriff together, leaving Black by himself.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry said as they spun around, They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Sirius adjusted himself on Buckbeak's back, watching the three of them.

"What happened to the other boy?" he asked, "Ron?"

"He's fine," Elizabeth said, "Madam Pomfrey is getting him right. You need to go. Now."

"How can I ever thank—"

"GO!" the three friends shouted. Sirius gave a sad sort of smile at that.

"We'll see each other again, Harry," he said, "You are—truly your father's son..."

Elizabeth scrambled backwards with Harry and Hermione, watching as Buckbeak took flight with Sirius on is back. The two grew smaller and smaller...And then they were gone.

"How much—" Elizabeth started, turning to Hermione, who was staring at her watch.

"Ten minutes," Hermione said in panic, "Ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us—before Dumbledore locks the door..."

The three took off at a run, taking stairs two, sometimes three, at a time. They'd barely reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs, however, when Harry pulled Hermione and Elizabeth back into the shadows of the stairwell. Two people were coming...

"...only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties." It was Snape. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"

"As soon as Macnair returns with the dementors," came Fudge's reply, "This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the _Daily Prophet_ that we've got him at last...I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape...and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the _Prophet_ exactly how you saved him..."

Elizabeth felt Harry tense next to her and she glanced over at him, seeing him glaring off past the stairs. She had a feeling he'd rather eat a barrel of cockroach clusters than praise Severus Snape.

They waited just a moment longer, making sure the coast was clear before they took off again. They were interrupted only once more—this time by Peeves—but again they only had to hide for a few seconds before they were off again.

It was relief that they reached the hospital wing corridor. Elizabeth could hear Dumbledore talking up ahead...Then she could see him, his back to them as he was addressing the other Harry, Hermione, and Elizabeth inside.

"I'm going to lock you in," he was saying, "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore took a step back, pulling out his wand as he started to close the door. Elizabeth, Hermione, and Harry all took off down the corridor, stumbling to a stop next to their headmaster, who smiled at them.

"We did it!" Harry panted, "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak..."

"Well done," Dumbledore said, his smile growing, "I think—yes, I think you've gone too—get inside—I'll lock you in."

Elizabeth hurried inside with her friends, finding it exactly as they left it. Ron was the only other one there, unconscious on his bed still. Elizabeth looked at Hermione and Harry with a grin before they all hurried back to their own beds. They'd just got settled when Madam Pomfrey came back in.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving?" she asked sharply, "Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

Elizabeth knew better than to argue anything with Madam Pomfrey, so she took the chocolate given to her without a word. Then another piece, and another...She was just starting to get a bit sick of chocolate when they heard someone yelling somewhere in the castle.

"What was that?" Madam Pomfrey asked, her head jerking up. She quickly headed to the door as the voices got closer. "Really—they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

"He must have Disapparated, Severus," Fudge's voice drifted from the corridor, "We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out—"

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE! YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS—HAS—SOMETHING—TO—DO—WITH—POTTER!"

Elizabeth glanced over at Harry with that. She'd never heard Snape so...furious.

"Severus—be reasonable," Fudge said, "Harry has been locked up—"

Elizabeth jumped a little as the door flew open and Snape marched in, looking as furious as he sounded. Elizabeth sunk back a bit against her pillows. It was honestly a bit frightening.

Snape wasn't the only one angry. Fudge's face was red. Dumbledore, however, looked as if he were reading an amusing story.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" Snape yelled, moving towards Harry's bed, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey stepped towards the teacher, "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," Fudge said, "This door's been locked, we just saw—"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!"

"Calm down, man! You're talking nonsense!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER! HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT—"

Elizabeth looked over at Harry, who looked as if he were fighting hard to make himself look completely clueless. She wondered how he couldn't be terrified of Snape screaming like this...

"That'll do, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey replied, sounding insulted at the accusation, "I would have heard them!"

"Well, there you have it, Severus," Dumbledore said, "Unless you are suggestion that these three can be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Snape stood there for a moment more, shaking in fury. Finally, he spun on his heels and stomped out of the hospital wing. Elizabeth found herself glad she was here under Madam Pomfrey's protection. She didn't want to think about the person Snape would take out that anger on...

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," Fudge managed after a moment, "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."

"Oh, he's not unbalanced," Dumbledore replied, "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one! The _Daily Prophet's_ going to have a field day! We ha Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well...I'd better go and notify the Ministry..."

"And the dementors?" Dumbledore asked, "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," Fudge said, glancing around, "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy...Completely out of control...No, I'll have them packed off to Azkaban tonight...Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance..."

"Hagrid would like that," Dumbledore said, following Fudge on out of the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey, muttering under her breath, headed for her office.

Ron began to groan nearby and Elizabeth turned to see him sitting up, rubbing his head and looking around.

"What—what happened?" he asked, then seeming to realize where he was, "Why are we here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin What's going on?"

Elizabeth grinned a bit, looking to Hermione and Harry. The latter of which was grabbing another piece of chocolate.

"You two can explain," he said simply. Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh a little, but she and Hermione immediately launched into the story in hushed whispers.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

_**Chapter Twenty-Two:**_

Elizabeth couldn't help but think the feel of the warmth of the sun against her skin was nicer than anything she'd felt in a while. She was lying in the grass near the lake, enjoying an afternoon with nothing weighing on them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting nearby, Ron still asking Hermione questions about the night before. Harry was staring off across the lake, to the spot where he'd conjured the patronus last night.

Elizabeth couldn't help but think about that night as well. Harry had saved their lives. She'd never expected to see anyone cast a full patronus, especially someone so young. It was really advanced magic, after all. Definitely made Elizabeth feel mediocre about her own lack of skills in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Yet, she still was impressed by her best friend.

Luckily for all of them, no one in the school was aware of what had happened the night before. They knew that somehow, Buckbeak had escaped execution. But the story of Black managing to be caught, then escape again, had not spread. It seemed Fudge didn't want word getting out that they let Black get away.

Hagrid came over to them and Elizabeth sat up, propped on her arm that just last night had been covered in gashes from dog teeth.

"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," Hagrid said with a bright grin, "I mean, Black escapin' again, an' everythin'—but guess what?"

"What?" Harry asked, trying hard to look curious. Elizabeth had to admit, he didn't have a very good bluff face.

"Beaky's escaped!" Hagrid said happily, "He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"

"That's amazing!" Elizabeth said, grinning brightly. Hermione elbowed Ron, who was looking close to laughing.

"Yeah..." Hagrid said, staring off across the grounds with a far-away look on his face, "Can't've tied him up properly. I was worried this mornin', mind...thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night..."

"What?" Harry asked, straightening up.

"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" Hagrid asked, watching them. He quickly lowered his voice, despite the fact they were the only ones on the grounds. "Er—Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'...Thought everyone'd know by now...Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night...He's pakin' now, o' course."

"He's _packing_?" Harry asked in shock, "Why?"

"Leavin' isn't he? Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin' again."

"I'm going to see him," Harry said instantly, pushing himself to his feet and looking to the others.

"But if he's resigned—" Hermione started.

"—doesn't sound like anything we can do—" Ron finished.

"I don't care," Harry said, "I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here."

Harry headed off across the grounds and Elizabeth turned to Hermione and Ron.

"I can't believe Professor Lupin is leaving," Elizabeth said, "I mean, no, I can...If parents found out a werewolf was within the same walls as their children...They don't know Professor Lupin like we do...We know he's a great person, but..."

"He really was a great teacher though," Ron said with a sigh, "First decent one we've had."

"I'm sure next year we'll have someone just as competent," Hermione said confidently.

Elizabeth glanced up at the castle, then rose to her feet.

"I think I'm going to go check on Harry," she said, starting off towards the castle.

The castle was quiet and empty, save for groups of first and second years. Everyone else was taking advantage of the Hogsmeade weekend. Elizabeth couldn't blame them, but after the night before, she'd rather just have an uneventful day on the school grounds with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

When Elizabeth reached Professor Lupin's office, she was surprised to see Dumbledore leaving the room. He looked at Elizabeth and gave her a grin before heading off down the hall. Elizabeth stared after him before going and looking to the room, seeing Harry was still in there, standing next to an empty tank. Professor Lupin was already gone.

"Did you get to talk to Professor Lupin?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding, "He gave me back the Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map. Said he thought we'd find it useful."

"I'm sure it will," Elizabeth said, starting out the door with Harry, "What did Professor Dumbledore want?"

"He...I told him about Professor Trelawney," Harry said, stopping at a window and looking out, "What she had said yesterday, about Voldemort's supporter seeking him out..."

Elizabeth flinched a little at the name, but she watched Harry closely. It wasn't hard to figure out what he was thinking.

"It wasn't our fault, you know," she said, "You did the right thing, saving Pettigrew."

"Dumbledore said the same thing," Harry said, "He said my father would have done the same thing...But what if—"

"Pettigrew probably would have found some way to escape," Elizabeth said, "You saw how many hiding places there were. Pettigrew would have found a way to escape with his life no matter what. Besides." Elizabeth smiled at Harry. "I know you. You might wonder what if, but deep down, you never would have let them kill Pettigrew. Just like when you still thought Sirius was guilty, and you stood there facing him, you couldn't bring yourself to kill him, either. You're no murderer, Harry."

Harry was quiet for a moment, just seeming lost in thought as he stared out the window. Finally, he gave a small nod.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said, "I'm not Pettigrew. I'm not a murderer."

"Exactly," Elizabeth said, grinning at Harry, "Come on. Ron and Hermione are waiting out on the grounds."

**xxxxx**

Elizabeth was glad there was no schoolwork over the next few days. It was nice sending time with her friends—both Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and those of Hufflepuff—without the worry of grades over her. Still, it came as a relief on the last day of term when she got her exam results back and saw she passed everything—though just barely when it came to Charms and History of Magic. Lewis hadn't gotten his O.W.L. results yet, he wouldn't until later that summer. Elizabeth hoped he'd get them soon. She didn't want to deal with Lewis worrying for too long.

The following day was busy, filled with excited chatter about summer plans, even as they were boarding the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station. Elizabeth bid goodbye to her fellow Hufflepuffs, with promise to write lots of letters—and to send Susan and Hannah pictures of her new cousin, Ursula.

Elizabeth made her way along the train, finding Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a compartment together. She sat next to Hermione, letting Cream out of her carrier. The cat immediately curled up next to Crookshanks.

"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast," Hermione said as Elizabeth got settled, "I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."

"But you have the highest grades in our class!" Elizabeth said.

"I know," Hermione said, brushing back a loose strand of hair, "But I can't stand another year like this one. That time turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."

"I still can't _believe_ you didn't tell us about it," Ron complained, "We're supposed to be your _friends_."

"I promised I wouldn't tell _anyone_," Hermione said simply, then looking to Harry, who was staring out the window as the train slowly set off, "Oh cheer up, Harry!"

"I'm okay," Harry said, looking up, "Just thinking about the holidays."

Elizabeth frowned a bit. She had forgotten, in her excitement to go home herself, that Harry's home life wasn't as great, living with Muggles who treated him little more than a prisoner...

"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too," Ron said, "Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now—"

"Fellytone?" Elizabeth asked, "I don't remember that in Muggle Studies."

"He means a _telephone_," Hermione sighed, "Honestly, Ron, _you_ should have taken Muggle Studies."

"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer!" Ron went on, ignoring Hermione and Elizabeth, "How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."

Harry slowly started to grin at that.

"Yeah...I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come..." he said, "Especially after what I did to Aunt Marge..."

"It'll be great," Elizabeth said, "Hogwarts Quidditch matches are fun, but they're nothing compared to a professional league. I hope we can go."

The talk of Quidditch lasted well into the afternoon, even through their lunch. Hermione, who wasn't as big a Quidditch supporter as the others, hid her face behind a book while the others talked. Though as the day wore on, and the sky was starting to take a glow of a soon-setting sun, Hermione suddenly straightened up, staring out at the scenery.

"Harry, what's that thing outside the window?"

Elizabeth looked up with the others. Something small was bobbing along, looking much like a floating envelope. Harry went over and opened the window, and the envelope flew in—and Elizabeth noticed a small owl was holding it. As Harry took the letter, Ron gripped the owl since both Crookshanks and Cream were watching it intently.

"It's from Sirius!" Harry said quickly.

"Read it out loud!" Elizabeth said, watching Harry pull the parchment out and begin to read:

"_Dear Harry,_

"_I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post._

"_Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I had some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job._"

Elizabeth looked over at the owl in Ron's hands, who was now hooting happily, much to Hedwig's annoyance. Harry continued:

"_I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted._"

"Oh, I hope he doesn't take too much a risk," Elizabeth said, "Letting himself get seen...He could easily get caught."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ron said, "He's avoided everyone so far."

Harry gave a small nod, reading on:

"_There's something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt—_"

"Ha!" Hermione cut in, "See! I _told_ you it was from him!"

"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Ron asked, then yelped as the little owl nibbled on his fingers.

Harry grinned, turning back to the letter:

"_Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name, but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather._

"_I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you._

"_I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable._

"_If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me._"

Harry looked through the envelope and pulled out another piece of parchment. Elizabeth leaned over and grinned, seeing it was written permission to visit Hogsmeade.

"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" Harry said, grinning brightly, looking back to his letter, "Hang on, there's a P.S..._I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._"

Ron's eyes went huge as he looked down to the small, hooting owl in his hands.

"Keep him?" he asked cautiously, then held out the owl to Crookshanks, "What d'you reckon? Definitely an owl?"

Crookshanks response was to sniff at the owl, then start purring as he put his head back down. Cream kept watching the owl, completely fixated, however.

"That's good enough for me," Ron said with a grin, "He's mine."

Elizabeth grinned as she noticed the train was beginning to slow, then stopped, and she got up, getting Cream into the carrier.

"I'm going to go find Lewis," she said, "Have a good summer, all of you. Hopefully we'll get to go to the World Cup together!"

Elizabeth bade her friends goodbye again before getting her trunk and cat, heading off the train and looking around for her brother.

She found him soon enough, near the porthole to the Muggle train station. He was chatting with Cedric, and as Elizabeth got closer, she could hear them discussing plans to go to the Quidditch World Cup.

"Ready to go, Liz?" Lewis asked as he noticed her coming up.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Elizabeth said, looking to Cedric, "See you over the summer."

"You too," Cedric said, waving goodbye as Lewis and Elizabeth went through the barrier into King's Cross, both eager to head to the familiar comforts of home.

* * *

**A/N:** Here ends the third year of Elizabeth's series. The fourth part, _Year of Changes_, is in process. Once I have a good buffer, I will begin posting. I don't know when that will be.


End file.
